The Horseman
by JDWrites101
Summary: It started when Halloween decorations came to life then escalated when a strange and mysterious entity known only as the 'Horseman' began to terrorize Whitechapel. With more question than answers it falls to Ethan, Sarah and Benny to uncover the city's dark past, and with it an enemy the three of them never once thought possible.
1. The Countdown to October

A/N: Ok all new Halloween based story in order to breathe some life into this otherwise empty and dead fanficition section. Enjoy, I'll see for the next update! In the mean time enjoy!

I don't own any of the My Babysitter is a Vampire or Sleepy Hollow characters or it's author Washington Irving.

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The Horseman

By JDWrites101

Chapter One: The Countdown to October

"_At this rate we're gonna be late for class_," thought Ethan to himself as he leaned against the coffee shop, and crossed his arms in a futile attempt to keep warm. He watched as several auburn leaves floated about in the frigid morning breeze and sighed. Only in Whitechapel could the warm summer weather vanish overnight leaving nothing but a cold chill and the faintest but distinct hints of autumn in its wake. Shorter days, cooler evenings, and that feeling of togetherness, he smiled just thinking about it. A cold gust assaulted his already numb body and in annoyance he checked his watch for the umpteenth time.

"_How long does it take to buy two cups of coffee?_" thought Ethan as he debated going into the Whitechapel Brew after his friend. Before he could put any more thought into the matter he heard several screams. Expecting the worst he shouldered the front door open while his hand flew to the dagger hidden in the depths of his jacket.

The first thing that caught his attention the strange waxy substance that coated the entirety of the store, the second was Benny who stood in the middle of it all looking rather pale with his eyes cast upwards at the ceiling. Ethan turned to look up and found the reason behind the screams. Crawling across the webs were dozens of large purple and orange spiders, each one making a loud hissing noise. One by one they began to fall on the customers, and in the mad scramble for the door Ethan managed to get his friend out into the cool morning air. When he was sure they were alone and spider-free he asked:

"What happened?"

"I don't know," said Benny as he shakily handed Ethan a cup of coffee. "I was paying for our drinks and the next think you know those cheesy fake cobwebs and giant spiders were real and crawling over everything."

"Those definitely weren't decorations," mumbled Ethan. He took a sip from his cup and sighed, the warmth was more than welcome. "They were real."

"They weren't before though."

"Did you accidentally use magic or something? You know how you get when your excited and-"

"Seriously E?" asked Benny in disbelief as he gave him a look. "You think I had a magical accident? It's been two years since I became a Spellmaster, and I've learned more in these past two years than Harry Potter did in his entire wizarding career."

"Sorry," mumbled Ethan sheepishly. "I'm just covering the basics before we start searching for someone or something that's bringing Halloween decorations to life."

"I bet it has to do with the Lucifractor, ever since it exploded last year crazy things have been happening. It's like the blast loosened the magic in the city."

"Loosened the magic in the city?"

"Yeah, I don't think you can feel it though because you're not a Spellmaster. The best way to describe it is like standing on a spinning chair, it's not stable. My Grandma said the explosion jump-started all the dark magic in Whitechapel and when you think about everything that's happened it makes sense."

Ethan thought about it for a moment and frowned. Since Stern's demise almost a year ago the supernatural forces in Whitechapel had certainly been busy to say the least. Between the Chupacabra, Baba Yaga, the dream wraith, Stephanie's attempted return, the Ahools, the Faceless Men, and the dark spirits from the summer festival it was hard to deny the facts in front of them.

"But why would anyone want to turn Halloween decorations real? It doesn't make any sense."

"Does anything in this city ever make sense?" asked Benny as they continued their walk to school. Ethan quicken his pace then looked down at his watch and slowed. They were already late, what was the sense in rushing now? With a sigh he took another sip from his coffee and then looked up at the brunette.

"Is there pumpkin spice in here?"

"Yup," said Benny with a smile. "Everything tastes better with pumpkin spice."

* * *

"I love fall," sang Erica happily as she waved about her coffee cup with a smile. "Everything taste like pumpkin, and what doesn't taste good with just a hint of pumpkin in it?"

"Coffee," answered Sarah as she took a sniff of her mug before tossing in into the nearest trashcan. "I can't believe you got coffee. We're here to take notes on the new exhibit, not to drink the equivalent of liquid pumpkin, which by the way is totally gross."

"It's been documented that it helps clear a vampire's senses and makes them more in tune their own nature. Not that you would know anything that Little Miss Denial."

"I'm not in denial."

"Really, then tell me when was the last time you had blood? And not that stuff Benny's Grandma makes, I'm taking actual fresh blood." When she didn't respond Erica smiled and added: "Thought so."

Sarah rolled her eyes and continued their walk through the hallway labeled: 'History of Whitechapel'. They passed by old clothing, muskets, a diorama of the city in its early days, sabers and more until they finally reached the newest addition. In the corner almost invisible to the naked eye was a sign hanging from the ceiling welcoming guests to 'The Real Sleepy Hollow'.

"Here we are," said Sarah as she looked up from her small map and peered around the secluded room. "Ok we need to write down at least one interesting fact that we learned and apply it to-"

"Did you forget who it was that had a 4.0 GPA before and after she was bitten? Besides this is just an extra credit assignment, who cares if we take it seriously or not?"

"Yeah well I need to pass this class if I want to get the credits to transfer out of Whitechapel Community College."

Erica approached the nearest exhibit, an old document called 'a page of Ichabod Crane's Journal', and whispered: "I didn't know Whitechapel was home to the 'Legend of Sleepy Hollow'."

"All good stories come from somewhere," said Sarah as she read the small set of information in front of her. "According to this Washington Irving, author of 'Sleepy Hollow', briefly visited Whitechapel at some point before writing it. I bet he saw something, after all this place is a supernatural hotspot."

"Can we go?" groaned Erica as she passed by a suit of black armor with its helmet noticeably missing. She examined the sleek black sword in the case next to it. "This stuff isn't even that interesting, it's just boring old papers and clothes."

"Hang on," said Sarah in an annoyed tone. She continued to examine the various items, and wondered which one would score her the best grade on her assignment. "Just because you don't care about what college your going to doesn't mean I don't."

She walked the length of the small room and stopped when she came across a painting of a young woman bound by rope being led to a tall wooden post. She traced a finger over the protective glass and stopped when she came across the title: 'The Burning of Whitechapel's Grey Witch.' She read the description under it:

_Responsible for the murder of two prominent Whitechapel citizens, and accused of witchcraft, young Katrina Van Tassel was sentenced to burn at the stake. Her final resting place remains a mystery, though local legend claims that a young woman, fitting Katrina's description, wanders through the cemeteries at night begging forgiveness from those she wronged._

"The Grey Witch," whispered Erica as she approached the painting with a frown. "Whitechapel's very first boogeyman."

* * *

Ethan picked up the box of musty Halloween decorations and did his best not to cough as he lugged it up the stairs from the school's basement. Normally he'd be annoyed that both he and Benny were being forced to help move the decorations, but considering the morning's events his mind had long since wandered. What purpose would making the cobwebs and spiders in the coffee shop real, if any, serve? He dropped the box in front of the main office and coughed when dust exploded outwards. Leave it to the school faulty to turn a simple detention into manual labor.

He made his way once again into the poorly lit basement, and frowned when he caught sight of Benny sitting in the corner reading a small black journal. He crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently. Benny held up a finger, closed the book dramatically, looked at the symbol on the front and gave a sharp whistle.

"Wow," he tossed it into one of the various boxes and took a deep drink from his blue thermos. "That was a bit intense for a Halloween story. Burning witches, murders, black armor, psh what happened to simple things like goblins, ghosts and black cats? Too bad the last page is missing guess we'll never know what happened!"

"First of all we're supposed to be working," said Ethan as he gave his friend an annoyed but slightly entertained look. "And second do you mind helping? After all you're the reason we're here."

Benny grinned. "If I remember correctly, and trust me I do, the reason we're here is actually because of you."

"M-me?" stammered Ethan in disbelief as he dropped the box of Halloween decorations he had picked up. "I'm not the one who insisted he needed a Pumpkin Spice Latte on the way to school today."

"Yeah but I'm not the only one who got one. Besides tomorrow is the first day of October and they always hike the price up in October. And thanks to my little side trip we managed to stumble across another one of the city's mysteries or monsters or both. We only ended up here because you offered to help Mr. G with the decorations."

"Because he was going to give us detention for being forty-five minutes late!"

"Mr. G never gives detention!" Laughed Benny. "We'd be the second set of students to get in trouble from him, the first obviously being Sarah and Erica. But all this nonsense aside it's time for some real talk: have you thought about Halloween costumes yet?"

"Not really," answered Ethan as he picked up the box once again. "I was going to talk to Sarah about doing a-"

"Dude Sarah's in college now. She's totally out of your league, its time to move on."

"It's just Whitechapel Community College, and we still get to see her and Erica everyday for lunch."

Benny shook his head and began to rummage through another box. Dust rose into the air and he kicked it aside dismissively.

"We probably won't even have time to do anything for Halloween this year," said Ethan sadly as he started up the stairs.

"Whoa whoa, whoa, whoa," said Benny as he grabbed his friend by the arm. "What do you mean we won't have time for anything? We always have time for Halloween."

"You said it yourself earlier, ever since the Lucifractor exploded, the supernatural side of Whitechapel's been insane. There's no telling what's gonna to happen, in fact I'm willing to bet we'll see more things happening around Halloween than any other time."

Benny frowned and looked around at all the boxes. He muttered something under his breath and snapped his fingers. In a flash they were gone.

"You're welcome," said Benny as he motioned for his friend to follow him up the steps.

"What did you do?" asked Ethan uncertainly as he looked around.

"I teleported everything upstairs, told you I could control my magic."

Ethan gave him a weary look but said nothing. Once they were free of the basement's cold dark interior they heard an excited shout come from Mr. G's room. Together they peered into his classroom and found their teacher buried underneath mountain of Halloween decorations. He looked up at them confused, his glasses askew and with a smile asked:

"Did you two happen to see the students who dumped all these decorations onto me?"

"N-no sir," said Benny as he absently made a grab for Ethan's arm and pulled him away from the door. "But it looks like they got all the decorations up so you don't need our help! See you tomorrow bye!"

On the way home Ethan began to laugh, causing his friend to turn a bright red color. The Spellmaster pouted and mumbled: "Don't say anything."

Despite his friend's warning, and threatening stare Ethan simply grinned and responded: "Anything."

* * *

"Come here you delicious little possum," whispered Rory as he stared down his potential meal from the top of the old mausoleum. With his tongue sticking out and butt up in he air he prepared himself to pounce on dinner only to lose focus when he caught sight of Sarah standing at the far end of the cemetery. With the thoughts of food all but forgotten the young blonde jumped down and ran over to greet her. "What's up Sarah?"

"Huh?" She gave him a confused look then asked: "What are you doing here?"

"The old graveyard is the best hunting spot in the entire city," said Rory as he spun around with his arms wide open. "I'm always here, but why are you here? Did you finally decide to join my all natural animal diet?"

"Sorry but no. Erica told me about the Grey Witch and in order to get a passing grade on my paper I decided to test out the urban legend myself. The only problem is I don't really know what to do."

"The pebble thing?" She nodded. "How do you not know about it?" Before Sarah could response he snapped his fingers. "Oh that's right you moved to Whitechapel two years ago, right before we met huh? Ok what you want to do is cut your hand and place a bit of your blood on a black pebble, then toss it into the planter in the middle of the cemetery."

"Why?" Asked Sarah as she picked up one of the various black stones lying around. "That seems a little unsanitary."

"According to the legend they used to burn people in that planter and their spirits never got the rest they deserved. By tossing in a blood marked pebble its supposed to help the spirits track down their family line and finally find peace. Or something like that, I'm not really sure."

"I have a bad feeling about this," whispered the brunette as she looked at the small rock and turned it over in her hand. "Maybe I shouldn't do this, you never know what might happen in this city."

"Ethan, Benny and I did it," offered Rory. "It was right before we met you. Of course it took forever to get Ethan to actually cut himself, you know how he gets around blood. But think of it like this- the grade of your paper could be at stake right now."

"Ethan did it?" He nodded and she brought her thumb to her mouth. Her fangs appeared and she bit down. A small droplet of black blood appeared and she ran it over the small dark pebble. Taking in a sharp breath she tossed it into the planter. When nothing happened she turned to Rory who simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Same thing happened for Ethan, Benny and me."

"Well that's that," said Sarah as she typed the results into her phone. She took a few pictures of the graveyard and gave him a smile. "I better get home, and put the finishing touches on my essay. Thanks for the help."

"Here I'll go with you," offered the blonde as he followed after her. "My mom always told me I should never let a lady wander around at night. Besides it's almost midnight and I need to get home too. "

She nodded and together the two of them took to the sky unaware of the strange energy in the air.

* * *

The black pebbles strewn across the graveyard began to vibrate and drawn by an unknown force moved towards the large circular planter. As they neared a grey pillar of smoke materialized and with it an unnatural heat spread across the surrounding area. One by one the pebble rose before violently flying into the smoke, slowly the planter filled with a thick dark liquid. The smoke took on a human form and waved an arm over the strange substance. From the depths of the melted pebbles a large black stallion emerged its legs crashing against the ground with an explosive force. The creatures orange eyes examined the graveyard before honing in on the smoke, and when it caught sight of the figure it lowered its head awaiting orders.

_"Find the Horseman, free him from his shackles, and then bring me the head of any living Crane."_

The horse reared up at the command and gave a hellish cry before charging through the cemetery. In its wake it left nothing but destruction, and the thundering sound of its hooves as it rode off into the night.

* * *

Ethan turned restlessly in bed and frowned when he realized how nervous he really was. He turned to his alarm clock, only five minutes left till midnight. Giving up on sleep he tossed off the covers and wandered over to the window. In the glow of the full moon he could see the normally green trees tinged with orange and felt his nerves subside. There was always something calming about the changing of the seasons. He absently picked up his phone and went thought the texts with his friends. In them he had relayed the day's events to Sarah, Erica, and Rory who in return, offered the same questions he had asked: 'Why?'. He looked at their responses again; Sarah had offered some interesting insight into the problem:

_Why would someone/thing bring decorations to life? Better yet is there even a way they could turn them real? __**-S**_

Erica not so much...

_Are you sure Benny didn't have a magical accident?__** –E**_

And Rory even less so…

_No way! Do you think you could bring my action figures to life? __**-R**_

He turned off the phone, and peered once again at the city beyond his window. Standing at the far end of the street in a rapidly appearing black fog was a large charcoal colored horse with dark orange eyes. Ethan found himself unable to turn away from the creatures gaze, and as he stared into the unnatural color the world began to swim around him. Far away he heard the high pitch scream of a woman in pain.

_"You will suffer! You will all suffer a fate worse than death! A curse upon you all! Heed my warning Whitechapel will pay!"_

It was only when the fog closed in around the beast that eye contact was broken. Ethan stumbled backwards and collapsed to floor. The last thing he saw before passing out was the dark red numbers of his alarm clock- 12:00. October had finally begun.

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A/N: Next update will be in a few days. Tell me what you think!


	2. Urban Legends

A/N: Second chapter! Enjoy!

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The Horseman

By JDWrites101

Chapter 2: Urban Legends

"So what exactly are you doing here?" asked Erica as she loosened her scarf and sat across from Sarah. She took a moment to enjoy the cafe's warmth and after some serious internal debate decided against getting another cup of coffee. A quick glance around the Whitechapel Brew confirmed that there was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. The only thing of note was the lack of spider related decorations, but it appeared the coffee shop had compensated for that with the brand new if rather cheap looking paper jack-lanterns and ghosts. She turned back to Sarah, who still had her nose buried in some book and asked: "Are you investigating your nerd's text from last night?"

"First of all he's not my nerd," said Sarah as she finally looked up with a flushed expression. "And second I'm not here to investigate it's just the only coffee shop in town that has a working heater."

"Yeah well apparently that comes with the added charm of gigantic hissing spiders. What are you reading?"

"I'm trying to put together the legend of the Grey Witch. Yesterday you called her Whitechapel's first boogeyman and told me about the urban legend in the graveyard. Today I want to know why and where it came from."

"Is this still for that stupid extra credit assignment?" asked Erica as she stared at her friend in disbelief. "Give it up Sarah, you've already put more than enough work into this paper to get a passing grade. Let's go do something fun for once."

"I don't have enough information though," said Sarah as she closed the book and slid her notes across the table. "Why do they call her Whitechapel's Grey Witch, how does it relate to the myth about the stones and the biggest question of all: what does all of this have to do with 'The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'? I searched online all night for any information, and I didn't find anything."

"That's because you won't find anything online," answered Erica as she stood up with a sigh and tightened the scarf around her neck. She motioned to the thin grey fog outside. "You more than anyone should know this city has its secrets, the Grey Witch and her history is one of them. But since you're so determined to figure it out I guess I can show you."

* * *

"What happened to you?" asked Benny, as he watched Ethan enter the school with dark circles under his eyes. He looked Ethan up and down. It was unusual for his friend to be anything less than put together, and here he was with his hair disheveled and clothes that were not only wrinkled but dirty. After another moment of examination he settled on the obvious and stated: "You look terrible."

"You look like you fell asleep on a rock," exclaimed Rory in a sing song voice. He snapped his fingers and with his trademark smile added: "Or a better yet a rock fell asleep on you. Did a rock fall asleep on you Ethan?"

Ethan sighed, and despite his lack of sleep he let out a laugh. Before he could answer either of them a group of hunched over students walked by talking in excited tones.

"Did you see it last night? The monster?"

"The Hell Horse? You'd have to be stupid, blind or deaf to miss it, that thing was huge."

"Not to mention the way the black fog just followed it around. Where do you think it came from?"

"Forget where it came from, did you hear that woman scream? I thought my mom was being tortured."

"So then it wasn't a dream," whispered Ethan as he looked down at the ground and then back up at his friends' curious glances. "Last night I had this dream, well I thought it was a dream, about a wild horse with bright orange eyes walking around Whitechapel. It looked right at me, I heard this woman scream about a curse and the next thing I knew it was morning."

"This is totally karma for making fun of my magic yesterday," said Benny with a small smile as he tugged on his satchel. He frowned when he caught sight of his friend's disapproving stare and with an awkward cough muttered: "Sorry…. Maybe it was a vision."

"It can't be a vision," said Rory suddenly. He crossed his arms and paced in front of them. "Other people have seen it, so it has to be something else... right?"

"He's right," said Ethan with yawn. "And it would be too much of a long shot to call it a wild horse, especially with those eyes, and that black fog."

"I wonder if it has anything to do with the decorations coming to life in the coffee shop," mumbled Benny. "I asked Grandma about it last night and she didn't know anything about animation spells, so I searched through my book and nothing came up."

"Really?" asked Ethan as rubbed his temple, he was missing something but what? He felt a headache coming on and decided to ignore his intuition. "Honestly I don't think the horse has to do with the coffee shop. There isn't a horse statue anywhere in Whitechapel, something else is happening."

"All these cool things happen to you two," mumbled Rory with a frown as he looked down disappointed. "The only cool thing that happened to me was the date I went on with Sarah yesterday."

Ethan's head shot up and before he could say anything Benny held up his hand and asked: "Are you sure it was a date, or did you just happen to run into her while she was out hunting? Because you've made that mistake before and when you make that mistake no one wins."

"Well… we did run into each other at the graveyard when she was trying to figure out the old urban legend."

"Old urban legend?" asked Ethan as he thought about it for a moment. "You mean the one with the pebbles and blood? Why would she do that?"

"For an essay about Whitechapel's Grey Witch."

"An essay about Katrina Van Tassel?"

"Excellent topic of discussion," said Mr. G from his position in front of the classroom door. He ushered the boys in with his usual kind smile. "But that's better saved for when class actually starts and I can show my impressive original 'Sleepy Hollow' manuscript."

"I see you decorated," stated Benny in a shaky voice as he examined the rubber rats, cheap cobwebs and plastic spiders that now covered the room. He paled. "It looks… nice."

"Yup, it's all thanks to you boys helping with the decorations last night, oh and before I forget," Mr. G reached into his pocket and produced two bracelets. He gave one to each of them, red and green for Ethan, and blue and yellow for Benny. "They're hand-woven based off of a Native America design I saw at the museum a few months back. Normally I only give them to members of the student council as a thank you for all the help they've done, but seeing as you two helped me a lot I think I can make an exception. They're supposed to bring you good luck, so take of them."

"No problem," whispered Ethan as he took his and headed for a seat in the center of the room and as far away from any decorations as possible. Benny sat next to him and slid his on. "You're actually gonna wear it?"

"I think it looks cool," whispered Benny defensively as he held up his arm to show off the small band. The combination of blue and yellow, thought Ethan would never say it aloud, seemed like a perfect fit for his friend. "Besides we could use some luck with all these rubber rats around."

"Good point."

"So," said Mr. G with a smile as he clapped his hands together and leaned against the desk. He gave them all a quick glance and after a dramatic pause asked: "Who here knows about the 'Legend of Sleepy Hollow'?"

Hannah Price's hand shot up: "The story was based off of actual events that took place early in Whitechapel's founding. It's the story of how two citizens, Ichabod Crane and Abraham Von Brunt, strove for the affection of Katrina Van Tassel. According to local legend she murdered both of them with witchcraft and was then burned at the stake.

"Remember when commenting or passing on information you have to separate the fact from the fiction," he walked over to the board and began to write. "If you don't you end up with rumors that turn simple things into something much worse. Yes we know they story was based off actual events, and yes we know Katrina was found guilty of the murders but-"

"There's no such thing as witchcraft," spat out Della in an annoyed tone as she turned to glare at Hannah. "You'd have to be either stupid or an idiot to believe in that."

"Then how do you explain the decorations in the Whitechapel Brew coming to life yesterday?"

"That's just a rumor."

"I saw them!"

"Like you'd ever ditch Miss Class President."

"Cat fight," whispered Benny excitedly with a smile as Della and Hannah continued to argue with one another. "Today's going to be a good day."

"Ladies, ladies," said Mr. G as he took a step forward. "It's true Hannah was at the Whitechapel Brew yesterday, she had a student council meeting with some teachers for upcoming schools events and she offered to pick up coffee. But as I mentioned earlier it's better to separate what we saw from what we want to believe. Yes there was spider infestation yesterday in the shop, but no the decorations did not come to life, because as we all know that's physically impossible."

The two girls looked down. "If you don't examine the facts then we end up with rumors, like the newest one about this... um... what did you call it?"

"Hell Horse!" offered Rory.

"That's right…." Mr. G shook his head dismissively. "Enough talk of rumors, let's examine the real events of Sleep Hollow. Katrina was the only daughter of the wealthiest man in the city, and was said to have a family secret that could make the person who married her the most powerful person in Whitechapel. We have several documents attesting to that fact, and as it turns out and was later discovered, her father actually owned the deeds to a better part of the town. Two citizens at the time: Ichabod and Abraham, competed for her affections, often making an awful spectacle of things. Unable to take the pressure of her family heritage and the pining affection of her suitors she murdered both of them."

"Wait how does the Headless Horseman come into play in all this?" asked Ethan as looked down at his notes. "I thought it was villain, if what you're saying is true then how did it even become a part of this story?"

Mr. G smiled proudly. "Now that's million dollar question isn't it?"

* * *

Erica walked through the graveyard carefully avoiding the broken graves and over grown plants as she made her way to their destination. She watched as her breath floated in the air in front of her and shuddered when they walked past the large planter in the center. Without looking back at Sarah she relayed the tale that had haunted her over the years.

"According to legend Katrina Van Tassel had two lovers, the first was the school master Ichabod Crane, and the second was the town's most prominent citizen Abraham Van Brunt. These two fought for her love at any chance they got, and one night at a Halloween celebration things finally reached a boiling point."

Erica stopped and motioned to the damaged grave in front of her. Sarah gave an uneasy look and bent down to read the inscription.

**Here lies Ichabod S. Crane**

"Unable to take the fighting between the two, she murdered them both in cold blood. She killed Abraham first and when Ichabod ran away she used her magic to bring the headless body of her ex-lover to life with one goal, to hunt down Crane. This single act of violence and magic was said to be too much for Katrina, and her bright orange hair turned grey. When it was discovered what she had done the town sentenced her to burn at the stake for witchcraft, and the rest is history."

Sarah looked up from the grave with a confused look. "I thought you said you didn't know 'Sleepy Hollow' was based off of actual events."

"I said I didn't know it was based in Whitechapel, and with all the strange things that happen in this city it's hard to remember what's actually fact and what's fiction."

"Fair enough," she examined the gravestone and found herself focusing on the strange symbol underneath the name. "Ichabod Crane is buried right here where we're standing..."

"Well if the grave is any indication then yes Sarah, this is where he's buried."

"Why isn't this landmark or something? There must thousands of people who'd love to see something like this."

"Exactly," said Erica with a distant look in her eyes. "Why would Whitechapel want to publicize its first murder? The city, and more importantly the Council hates the legend and would rather have it die here, then getting out. Besides the last thing we need is a bunch of internet weirdo's coming into Whitechapel and poking their noses around."

"How do you know all this?"

"A combination of living here for my entire life, and snooping around the Council's records." She noticed the way her friend raised her eyebrows and smiled. "Ever since the glamouring incident with Anastasia I've been looking for something to hold against her, thought it was joke at first guess it's not. Besides this is one of those things everyone knows but doesn't talk about. Kind of like Ethan's crush on you."

"Ethan doesn't have a crush on me," whispered Sarah as she turned back to the stone. She peered once again at the strange symbol. "I've seen that somewhere, I know it."

"Of course you have," whispered Erica in annoyance. "After all this CSI Sarah: Cold Case Edition."

* * *

_Have you seen this symbol? -_** S**

A small picture of a strange oval appeared on the screen and Ethan frowned. There was something oddly familiar about the shape, but at the moment he couldn't place it. He showed Benny the text and was rewarded with a head shake. Before he could reply another text appeared.

_You need to come to the museum as soon as you can, there's something here you need to see!_ –**S**

After school Ethan found himself keeping pace with both Benny and Rory as they headed to the Whitechapel Museum. From the corner of his eye he watched as the Spellmaster fidgeted with the beanie on his head.

"What are you doing?" asked Ethan unable to keep his curiosity in check. "You're starting to make me nervous."

"I woke up late this morning, and I didn't have a chance to condition my hair, so it's all itchy."

"I know the feeling," he held up his wrist and showed off the red marking. "I think I'm allergic to whatever material Mr. G used for his bracelet, I had to take it off before it got any worse."

"This is nothing like that, do you have any idea how hard is to keep my hair at the right level of awesome?"

"Uh hello!" said Rory as he ran a hand through his own blonde hair. "Have you seen my luscious blonde hair?"

"Luscious? You look like your wearing a wig!"

"At least I don't overdose mine with product!"

Ethan frowned and walked ahead; this was one argument he wasn't getting involved in. After a minute the museum came into view and he found himself smiling at the sight of Erica and Sarah waiting for them at the entrance. The girls raised their eyebrows when they heard Benny and Rory's argument.

"Ladies," said Erica as she approached them with a wicked smile. "If it makes you feel better your both ugly and have terrible hair."

"So what's up?" asked Ethan as he followed Sarah through the front door. Warm air spread across his body and he thankfully pulled off his jacket. "I'm guessing it's something supernatural."

"Follow me," said Sarah as she wandered through the maze that made up the first floor of the museum. She led them into the small exhibit and motioned to the area with the caution tape blocked off. Small pieces of glass glistened in the room's dim lighting. "The police where here earlier, they just re-opened the museum to the public. See the destroyed exhibit? There was a suit of armor in there yesterday."

"No way," whispered Ethan and Benny in unison.

"I don't get it," said Rory as he looked from the case back to the girls. "Why don't I get it?"

"Are you stupid?" asked Erica as she motioned to the ground. "Look!"

"I am but I'm not seeing anything!"

"The glass," whispered Ethan. He looked around, and once he was sure they were alone he crossed the caution tape. He bent down for a better look and nodded. He picked up a shard of glass and held it high. "If someone stole the armor then it would've been shattered on the ground here inside the display. Instead the glass is spread out here where we're standing."

"Then that means…."

"The armor wasn't stolen," said Ethan as he stood up with a worried look. "It… left. What was in the case next to it?"

"A dark black sword," said Erica. "Guess it's fair enough to assume the armor took it when it left."

"Hey Sarah," said Benny from the other side of the room. He pointed at the page within the case. "Isn't this the same symbol you sent Ethan?"

Sarah approached the display and found herself at a loss for words. On the bottom of the worn out paper was the same marking as the one on the grave.

"This is the last page for the manuscript of Ichabod Crane's journal," said Sarah as she read the small plaque. "But what does it mean?"

"I know where I've seen this!" said Ethan suddenly as he gave them an excited look. "Benny it was on that journal you were reading the other day."

"Of course Ethan would have the answers to Sarah's mystery," said Erica with a sigh. "Because for some reason everyone knows everything that the other person is looking for."

"You mean the story book about the witch burning?"

"You guys had Ichabod Crane's journal?" asked Sarah suddenly as she turned to him. "Where is it?"

"Wait…" said Ethan as he looked at Sarah. "It can't be Crane's Journal."

"Why not?"

"Because it was talking about a witch burning. Crane would've been dead by the time Katrina was burned at the stake. It might not be his journal but I bet it belongs to someone who was alive at the time"

"So then where is it?"

"That's a good question," said Benny with a frown as he rubbed his chin. "I tossed it into one of the boxes of Halloween decorations yesterday."

"You tossed a historical artifact into a box?"

"And then I magic'd them all upstairs… which means the journal would've ended up in Mr. G's classroom."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get it!"

"Wait Sarah," said Erica suddenly. "It's getting late and Mr. G always goes home early on Fridays. Besides if there is a headless armor walking around then we should wait until tomorrow to get it. We have a better chance of sneaking in to school during the weekend than at night anyways."

"Wow Erica's being sensible," said Benny with a smirk. "Never thought I'd live to see the day."

"Shut up."

"Then it's settled," said Ethan as he looked at his friends with a smile. "Tomorrow we'll sneak into school and try find the journal. Do you know what this means Sarah? We could be on the verge of a huge historical discovery!"

"I know isn't it exciting?" asked Sarah with a smile as she followed him out. "Imagine what we could learn from it."

Erica watched as Ethan and Sarah walked away talking excitedly, and turned to Benny with a sigh. "Come on we've got work to do."

"Work?" asked Benny as he scratched as his beanie. "What do you mean work?"

"Someone's bringing those decorations to life, and those two are so excited about their so called historical discovery, that they forgot one of the most important things."

"What's that?"

"The headless suit of armor in the 'Legend of Sleepy Hollow' Exhibit, just left with a sword." Both boys gave her a curios look before they paled and touched their necks. "Exactly."

* * *

_"Horseman."_

The armor approached the large grey planter and stopped. From its neck a large plume of black fog steadily rose into the air concealing the figure within. The horse emerged from the center and thundered across the ground with a loud neigh before coming to a stop in front of the armor.

_"Find him."_

It easily mounted the stallion and in one fluid motion unsheathed its black sword. The horse gave a cry and reared up as rider held the blade up high. The figure swung it once and watched as the grave in front of it exploded.

_"And then bring me the head of any living Crane."_

The Horseman stormed towards Whitechapel with both the onyx blade and dark armor shining unnatural the black fog.

* * *

A/N: Don't forget to leave a review, and I'll see you guys next week!


	3. The Horseman

A/N: So just to clear up some confusion, yes I put up the first two chapters last year and I didn't have enough time to actually finish the story and I scrapped it. But here it is and it's time to let loose the hounds, or should I say the horse!

* * *

The Horseman

By JDWrites101

Chapter Three: The Horseman

Benny placed his spell books on the wooden table and then motioned to his collection of papers with a triumphant grin. In the two days since the armor had been stolen or left the museum, both of which gave him an equal amount of the willies, he had made some surprising progress with own magical research. In the warmth of the Weir kitchen, he watched as both Erica and Rory leaned over the pages and then looked at him with their eyebrows raised. When neither of them said anything his grin widened and he simply stated:

"First things first my Grandma said there are no such things as animation spells."

"That doesn't make any sense," said Erica. She paced around the table, tapped her chin and took a sip of her pumpkin flavored coffee. "The decorations definitely came to life in the coffee shop. Both you, Ethan and even Hannah Price were there when it happened."

"Exactly."

"What if?" Mumbled Rory as he held up his hand for a moment and let the thought formulate. He reached out and to both Erica and Benny's surprise stole blonde's coffee hand and took a deep drink. He suddenly spit the liquid back in and said: "What if the spell that brought the decorations to life wasn't an animation spell but something else?"

"Ugh," whispered Erica when he handed her back the plastic cup. She gave a disgusted look. "Gross."

"I thought the same thing," answered Benny gleefully. He slid one of the papers forward; it portrayed a familiar toy with bright blue hair. "And then another thought came to mind: didn't we see a spell that brought a certain doll to life last year?"

"Of course," said the vampires in unison. "Debbie Dazzle!"

"Jane brought her to life with a spell she mispronounced an enchantment from my own personal book. If there's no such thing as animation spells then what made Debbie Dazzle a living breathing thing?"

"If we knew then we wouldn't be here asking you to research it," said Erica in an unnaturally calm voice. Benny sensed the underlying annoyance in her tone and took a step back when she smiled her fangs shining in afternoon light. "So then tell us: how did Jane bring her to life?"

"A-an emotion based spell." He picked up his own book and flipped to the appropriate page. "It's an older entry and it doesn't translate well but from what I can understand it feeds on the users emotion and gives it a physical form. Jane both loved and cared for her doll so the spell channeled her feelings into it and brought Debbie to life."

"Any guess on what the emotion for coffee shop was?" asked Rory. "Or who casted it on who? Or is it whom?"

"No idea about the whom, but as for the why," Benny felt a chill run down his spine as he spoke. "I'd say it was for fear."

* * *

Ethan watched as his breath rose in the frigid afternoon air and felt the same nervousness that always came before a mission. He rubbed his hands together in a vain attempt to both keep himself warm and get his nerves under control. Where were his friends? Where was Sarah? Hadn't she been as excited him about possibility of finding this potentially history changing artifact? It was one in the afternoon and they were already behind on their set met up time. Any later and they were going to have to wait another day, something he certainly didn't feel comfortable doing. He felt his phone buzz and checked the notice.

_Running late with Sarah and Erica. Be there in ten -__**B**_

Ethan sighed and stuffed the phone back into his pocket. He headed for the entrance and gently pushed the door open. He felt warmth rush forward and without a second thought headed down the hall. If his friends were set to arrive in a few moments it couldn't hurt for him to get a jump start on searching, right? Especially if meant doing so in such a warm and welcoming enviroment. He noted the fluffy cheap streamers the school had put out and snorted. He tried to imagine them coming to life like the spiders and began to laughed even harder.

Ethan stopped then slouched his shoulders in defeat. '_This is why I need Benny or Rory, my jokes are terrible.'_

He passed by the basement stairs, noted the slightly ajar door and felt a strange nagging at the back of his mind.

'_Benny magic'd the boxes upstairs_,' thought Ethan. _'The book couldn't still be down there… could it?'_

He shrugged it never hurt to be thorough, in fact it was the only one reasons why he maintained his near perfect GPA. He began to descend the stairs and felt the sting of cold air. With every step a sense of foreboding fell over him. Unlike the last time he had been down here, the only light within the open space came from the ground level windows. He carefully walked over the slick concrete and stopped when he caught movement in the far shadows of the room. He ducked behind a pillar and pulled out his small knife. All at once it occurred to him just how large the basement was. He took a deep breath and thought about each possibility of his attack.

_'No time for thinking'_, thought Ethan for perhaps the first time ever. _'Time for action.'_

He jumped out ready to strike and stopped. The figure was gone and he was once again alone in the dark expanse of the school's basement. Or so he thought, for the moment he lowered his arm something grabbed his shoulder from behind.

* * *

"Where's Ethan?" asked Sarah as she examined the area. She frowned and crossed her arms. "I thought we were supposed to meet him here five minutes ago."

"Well…." Benny let out a nervous laugh. "I might have messed up on the time and kept E waiting for about... I don't know thirty minutes or so."

"Of course," whispered Erica. She rubbed the bridge of her nose, the brunette tested her patience in ways she didn't know were possible. "Then he probably went on ahead. Let's go its freezing out here."

"Yeesh," wheezed Sarah once they were inside the building. "It's like a sauna in here. How come when we went here the school could never afford to run the heater but apparently they can now?"

"Didn't E tell you?" Said Benny with a sly smile. "Since the two of you graduated the amount of damage done by 'vamping up' has gone way down. And without repairs needing to be one every other day the school budget has gone way up. We even got new computers for the science lab."

"We didn't do _that_ much damage." Sarah let out a squeak and punched the locker to her left. When they both turned to her she flushed red. "T-there was a spider."

"Like I said," said the Spellmaster as he examined the large dent. "I rest my case."

Benny reached G's room first, tried the handle and to his pleasant surprise the door opened. He stepped in and stopped only to have Sarah and Erica run into his back. Sitting at his desk was none other than Mr. G himself and in his hands the journal.

"Oh my! Benny, and…." He looked at the girls. "The only two students I gave detention to. What are you doing here?"

"W-what are you doing here?" asked Benny suddenly. "Don't you have something else to do during the weekend?"

Mr. G's mouth fell open a little and for an instant he appeared lost in thought. "Well I-I believe I asked you first and since I am a teacher so I it's more than fair that you answer my question before I answer yours."

"Fair enough," said Erica with a fake smile. "We were at the museum earlier and noticed the last page of Ichabod Crane' s journal. Benny said he read a book that matched it, and that he left it with the decorations when he brought them up to your room so we put two and two together."

"Y-yeah," continued Sarah. "We were afraid that if he told you what it was then maybe you'd hand it over the museum before we got a chance to actually see it for ourselves. After all what are the odds you stumble upon a historical artifact like this?"

Mr. G looked between the three of them and then let out a hearty laugh. "Great minds think alike then. I came across the book on Friday and I'll admit I was more than excited to get a chance to read it myself. Unfortunately in my haste to get home I left it behind, so lo and behold here I am."

The three of them all shared a nervous laugh and nodded in agreement. Benny felt a chill run up his spine and side-stepped into the hallway. He absently scratched as his wrist, something off about the school, and more importantly whatever was causing it was on the move.

* * *

"I thought I smelled you E-izzle," said Rory as he help up Vampire Sasquatch and titled the toy's head sideways. "So what's ya doin?"

"Geeze Rory," said Ethan. He placed a hand on his chest and tried his best to clam himself down. Leave it to the number one prankster ninja vampire to almost give him a heart attack. "I thought you were a monster or something. What are you doing down here? We were supposed to meet at the front of the school a half hour ago."

"Oh-that makes a lot more sense. I was waiting in the gym. When no one showed up I figured I'd go on ahead and see if I could find Vampire Sasquatch. Della told me he might be in the basement with all the other stuff Stern confiscated before he ya know… exploded." The vampire tilted his head. "Or was it imploded?"

"First off its exploded and second Della's here?"

"Yeah something about student council and homecoming next month. I wasn't really listening because I was trying to hard to stay grounded. She makes me all light on my feet."

He began to float and Ethan pulled his friend back down to earth. "Since you're here do you mind helping me find Crane's journal?"

"I thought you said Benny magic'd the box it was in, upstairs?"

"He did," began Ethan as bent down and examined the ground. "But I'd rather check around and make sure."

He walked along the edge of the wall and moved between the pillars. Something was off but he couldn't put his finger on it. He slid on a patch of ice and cursed the frigidness of the room. How it was possible to have the school so warm and the basement near frozen? Then it hit him.

"Rory..."

"Yup!"

"Did it drizzle last night?"

"Yessir!"

Ethan turned to the dark areas of the basement, he wasn't sure but for a moment it appeared as though the shadows had moved. "We need to get to the others."

"Why?" asked the blonde as he held onto his toy protectively. "What's going on?"

"Someone or something broke into the basement last night, the patches of ice are from the rain."

"What?" Rory turned to look around and moved so he was back to back with Ethan. Together they examined the shadows. "So whatever broke in might be still be in here with us?"

Ethan caught the glint of dark metal first. In an instant a gloved hand covered his mouth and from the shadows a sword materialized. It caught Rory with the flat side of the blade, and Ethan felt himself thrown backwards against the wall. Everything went dark.

* * *

Benny stood in the middle of the hall and felt the rush warm air slowly overtake his body. He clenched his fists, and from the corner of his eyes watched as both Sarah and Erica gave him curious glances. He couldn't explain it, but he could feel the presence of something wrong, something… unnatural. He turned to the class and called out.

"We should take the journal and go." The usual humor in his voice was gone. "Now."

Erica and Sarah nodded. Something was here, and it was heading straight for them. Benny stood his ground in the hall and closed his eyes when he felt the warm air swirl and constrict around him. Though he couldn't see it, he feel the Hell Horse as it manifested from the nothingness in the space behind him.

Benny felt his heart race. They had fought all manners of monsters before and though he couldn't see it something about its physical presence unnerved him.

'_Its made of anger and hatred,_' thought the brunette as he clenched his fists to stop them from shaking. The beast let out a grunt and he felt the warm breath on the back of his neck. '_But just because it's made from emotions doesn't mean we can't fight it_.'

He jumped forward and turned to face the Hell Horse. In a single motion he raised his hand to cast a spell and stopped. A screamed resounded throughout the school.

"Who was that?" asked Erica. Benny turned down the hall in time to watch Della turned the corner with tears in her eyes. He glanced back to the horse and realized it wasn't focused on him. Its gaze went straight down the hall right at-.

"No you don't!" Sarah heard Benny scream first and watch as both the Spellmaster and Hell Horse moved at once. As the beast's muscles rippled and it leapt, Benny had bent down with both hands on the ground. She felt the world go cold as the tile turned to ice and watched in awe as the Hell Horse slipped upon landing it's back hooves narrowly missing the crouched figure before crashing into the lockers.

"They're coming!" Screamed Della as she slid across the ice and right into Benny's arms. She began to cry harder her whole body shaking. "Make them stop, please just make it all stop!"

"What are-?" Benny never finished. The fuzzy streamers hung across the hallway half melted and then reformed into tentacles. They hung lazily from the ceiling before lunging out for the nearest person. He watched in horror as both Sarah, and Erica were pulled from the classroom door and hoisted into the air. He saw an opening and shoved Della sideways into the class. Mr. G caught her and together they backed further into the room. The Hell Horse grunted again its orange eyes glowing as it struggled to get up.

'_At least the ice gives us an advantage_', thought Benny. He heard the screech of metal and the ice was gone. "What?" Tentacles wrapped tightly around his wrists and yanked him backwards against the wall. "What happened to my spell? Where's the ice?"

A sharp screeching returned and the Hell Horse rose. Near the entrance of the hall the Headless Horseman approach its dark black sword dragging against the ground. From the severed neck a dark black smoke billowed out and the armor raised its sword in a fighting stance.

"You've got to be kidding me!" bellowed Sarah. "Benny do something!"

"This is disgusting and perverted!" screamed Erica. "Get us out of here!"

The armor charged forward unnaturally light on its feet and with a single hand swung the sword.

'_Definitely scarier than the horse_,' thought Benny. He pulled down on the tentacles with the entirety of his weight. The blade missed him and instead severed the tentacles turning them once again into decorations. With his hands free he casted three spells in rapid succession, two for his friends and one for the Horseman.

The bindings on both the vampires turned to dust, and the armor stumbled backwards the orb of light bouncing off its leg. For a moment the smoke seemed to take form then resumed its endless rise into the air.

"Thank you," said Sarah as she wiped the muck off her arms. She turned to the dark black armor and held up both hands. "Who ever you are we can help. We protect this city and help supernatural creatures all the time. If you're cursed or-"

The bat stickers attached to the classroom doors began to peel off as they came to life. Benny paled at the sight and felt his hands begin to shake again. Why did it have to be bats? Why couldn't it have been rats or centipedes or angry versions of his Grandma? Anything would've been better than bats.

"Oh dear," whispered Mr. G when he peered out of the classroom. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, oh dear."

"What the hell is going on?" Screamed Erica as she moved between the bats, tentacles, Hell Horse and Horseman. She noted the brunette's pale complexion. "Don't you have a spell for this or something? Benny? Benny!"

"GET ME OUT OF HERE!" Della darted into the madness and made a beeline for the exit with Mr. G in tow. As she did the Horseman and Hell Horse charged for her. "NO NO NO NO NO NO NOOOO!"

One of the bats flew straight for Benny and he watched his own reflection grow larger in the creature's fangs. He closed his eyes waiting for the impact, waiting for it to clamp down and never let go.

"Enough," said Erica now annoyed with everything going on around her. She stepped in front of the Spellmaster, caught the bat by the wing and threw it straight at horse. The Hell Horse caught the creature it its mouth and began to rip it apart turning it once again into decorations. "Benny we a need a spell now, anything at all would be great."

"B-bats." His face was void of all emotions. "S-so many bats."

Sarah sidestepped the armor's swords and raised her hand. "I'm so sorry about this." She slapped Benny as hard as she could. "SNAP OUT OF IT!"

The Spellmaster's eyes seemed to come to life. When the Horseman charged for Della he summoned a fireball. It streaked across the air and armor turned with a single swing of the black sword cut the spell in half.

"Did that thing just cut your spell?" Asked Erica in disbelief. Benny mumbled another spell and again it was slashed down. She grabbed him by the shirt and shook him. "That thing can fight magic? How can that thing fight magic?"

The Hell Horse charged forward and without turning the Horseman reached out, caught the saddle and mounted it. The beast neighed and the armor raised the sword high. Benny, Sarah, and Erica watched the onyx blade began to glow, and energy dark black energy surged forward with an explosive force. Benny, Sarah, Erica, Della, and Mr. G were thrown forward by the shock wave.

When Benny managed to sit up, both the armor and horse were gone. He watched Della rise and then bolt for the exit still crying. The only things left behind were the destroyed decorations, damaged lockers, and bewildered looks of his companions. It was as if a hurricane and run through the school and simply ceased to exist.

"What happened?" asked Ethan as he limped around the corner using Rory for support. "It was the armor wasn't it?"

"It wasn't just the armor, the Hell Horse was with it," answered Sarah. "It brought the decorations to life and tried going after Della."

"Aw, then we missed the fight." Rory frowned. "I wanted to give it a piece of my fangs for getting a sneak attack in."

"Oh my," whispered Mr. G as he got up and adjusted his glasses. "Anyone care to explain what just happened?"

* * *

A/N: See you next week! If you can put the mystery together (and there is enough evidence) then I'll do something extra special for you!


	4. The Consistent Inconsistencies

A/N: Interesting theories but for the sake of plot I will not divulge any further information. Enjoy!

* * *

The Horseman

By JDWrites101

Chapter Four: The Consistent Inconsistencies 

The group looked at one another, then at the damaged hallway and together turned back to Mr. G who simply adjusted his glasses and crossed his arms while waiting for a response. In his hands was the journal, a little worn from time, but in otherwise perfect condition. Rory raised a hand to speak and stopped when Ethan stepped forward and tried his best at a lopsided grin.

"Sorry about the mess. Rory and I were trying to make a cool haunted house for the school and things sort of got really out of hand."

"We were?" asked Rory with a smile. "I thought we were tying to solve the mystery of the crazy demon horse and enchanted armor. No one told me about the awesome haunted house idea."

"Rory!" cried everyone in unison.

"Well then," said Mr. G. He looked between them and exhaled. "At least one of you has the decency to be honest with me."

"Y-you know?" asked Erica in disbelief. "About-" she motioned to the area around them. "All of this?"

"Yes I am well aware of the supernatural incidents that are go on within Whitechapel and the fact the five of you tend to get involved whenever things get… intense. Perhaps it was own fault, I should rephrase my question. Why are the decorations coming to life, and why is the Headless Horseman trying to kill innocent students?"

"We're not sure," said Ethan. He pointed at the small black book. "But we think it has something to do with Ichabod Crane's journal. If you know that we get involved then you know what we do for this city. Please can we have it?"

"I'd never thought I'd say this but," Mr. G gave them a small smile and held out the small leather book. "As your teacher I have to warn you about getting involved in such dangerous activities but as a fellow citizen of this city please find out what's happening and stop it."

"Of course," said Ethan as he took it then looked over his shoulder at his friends. They all nodded and when he turned back to their teacher it was with a determined look. "It's what we do best."

* * *

"I can't believe we have it," whispered Ethan as he held up the book. In the afternoon light he could see the strange symbol on the front, could see the wear and tear of the pages, and despite his injured leg did a little spin. He hardly noticed when he nearly tripped and Sarah caught him by the arm. "We have an actual part of Whitechapel History right here in our hands."

"I know," said Sarah with a girlish squeal. She held onto his arm tighter and peered at the journal. "Imagine what we might be able to learn. This journal may just change the way people view both the city and story. Imagine how this could affect the supernatural world! We might finally be able to learn about Katrina's execution and reason for the murders."

"Oh will you two just stuff it and open the book already?" asked Erica. She reached out for the journal and Benny knocked her hand aside with a dramatic slap. "What the heck was that for?"

"We shouldn't open it when we're out in the open," whispered the Spellmaster as he looked around. "We don't know who might be listening in, and we don't know if the Horseman is still around or not. You saw how it manifested from nothingness. It would be safer if we waited until we got to my house, at least there we'll have some magical detection spells."

"Glad to see at least some of you returned," said Erica as she motioned towards his face. He raised his eyebrow and she poked the dark bruise on his cheek. "For a minute I thought we lost you to the bats."

"Hey oww, watch it. The cold air makes it sting."

"What happened?" asked Ethan.

"Bats." He shuddered. "So many bats."

"He was frozen with fear," said Sarah sheepishly. "I had to slap him out of it."

"Don't you mean snap?"

"Do you not see this bruise?" asked the Spellmaster. "She means slap."

"Does anyone else find it funny?" asked Rory as he tossed Vampire Sasquatch into the air. "That Benny's afraid of bats but not vampires?"

That caught everyone off guard and they turned to face the brunette. He turned a shade of bright red, stuttered for a moment and then blurted out:

"Have you seen Rory? How is he scary? Plus with you two lady vampires they're not so much scary as… more… you know…."

"Finish that sentence," said Eric as he fangs appeared and eyes turned yellow. "I dare you."

As his friends continued to talk Ethan thought about everything that had just happened. Something was definitely off. But what it was he couldn't say. He needed time to compare the notes on what Benny had told him earlier to what was happening. There was a connection, he could sense it, but as for where, and more importantly why he couldn't say.

* * *

"So I have a theory," offered Sarah when the five of them gathered around the table. She placed the book in the middle and kept a protective hand on the cover. "I don't think this is Ichabod Crane's journal."

"Then why did we just go through all the trouble of getting it?" asked Erica in disbelief. "If you didn't notice we were just attacked by both the Headless Horseman and its horse. So if its not the journal then what is it?"

"It has to be," said Benny with a frown. "I remember reading about Katrina's burning and when she mentioned a curse and stuff."

"I didn't think you'd notice," said Ethan with a small blush as he glanced at Sarah. "I-I mean I-"

"It's cute you think I can't keep up," said Sarah with a grin. She ruffled his hair. "My grade is on the line you better believe I did my homework with this one."

"Would someone mind filling me in?" asked Erica. She snapped her fingers as the pieces fell into place. "Wait… I get it now! There's no way Ichabod could be alive when Katrina was burned, didn't she murder him?"

Ethan clicked a button on his laptop and motioned to the timeline on the screen. "Exactly. Yes this matches the paper at the museum, but it was most likely written by another Whitechapel citizen and not Crane."

"Well then what are we waiting for?" asked Rory suddenly. "Open the book!"

Sarah flipped open to a random page and felt the breath go out from her lungs. She watched as her friends' expression fell one by one. There was nothing on the page. Ethan grabbed the leather-bound journal out of her hands and began to flip rapidly through the pages.

"I-it's not possible! Where is it? Where are the words, the letters, anything at all? How can it be empty?"

"A book without words," whispered Sarah when she finally found her voice. "No… that can't be right."

"Mr. G was reading it when we found him," said Benny. "We saw him reading it, do you think the Horseman did something to it?"

"Its sword was able to cut down your magic," speculated Erica. "If the journal was being kept together by magic, then imagine what would've happened when that shockwave hit it."

Ethan gave a sigh, leaned back in the chair and ran and hand through his hair. "I'm sorry Sarah I thought we were really onto something."

"It's ok," said Sarah with a smile when she picked up the journal and turned it over in her hands. Her phone buzzed and she jumped up suddenly. "Erica we have to go! It'll be safer if we hang onto the journal for now."

"What?" asked Benny and Ethan in unison. "Why?"

"Because you two tend to jump start supernatural objects," said Rory with a grin. "Even I know that."

"Sarah's right," said Erica. "Either her or I should keep it. We don't sleep and we'll stand a better change of getting away from the Horseman if it attacks or tries to bring our decorations to life."

"Anyway we've got to go," said Sarah as she pulled on Erica's arm. "Lots of planning for the Whitechapel's Pumpkin Patch Festival."

* * *

"I've got nothing on magic canceling minerals," said Ethan. He shuffled through the open windows on his computer, and then handed Benny back the old spell book. A little more than a week had passed since the attack on the school and nothing of note had happened. More sightings of the Hell Horse but nothing of the Horseman. "And I didn't come across anything in any of the books your Grandma provided."

"That's because you won't find anything," said Evelyn when she walked into the room. She held up a small collection of old papers. "These are notes various Weirs over the years have written on the city. They're secrets that are too powerful and dangerous for anyone other than our family to know. I'm trusting you with the knowledge on these papers, there's an entry on the dark pebbles found in the old graveyard, they specialize in negating magic."

Ethan looked over the paper and handed it back to Benny. "You're the one who fought the Horseman, what do you think?"

"Is it possible to even forge the stones into a sword? The sword was definitely made by magic but how can magic manipulate something that's supposed to stop it?"

"It would need life energy to do so."

"Life energy?" asked Ethan.

"Yes a very dangerous thing to do," whispered Evelyn. "It has many noticeable side effect the most prominent would be the grey hair. It not only shortens a person's life span, but they would sacrifice their supernatural abilities for the rest of their known life."

"Then it's possible Katrina made the Headless Horseman and Hell Horse to kill both Crane and Abraham," said Benny. "Wasn't her hair white? And she was supposedly executed in the old graveyard where all the pebbles were."

Ethan looked at his notes. "Then what purpose do the decorations serve?"

Evelyn and Benny shrugged their shoulders. Ethan frowned. "Could it be this is all just a plan to revive Katrina and her powers? Or is it something way worse and we're all just missing it?"

Again the Weirs shrugged.

* * *

Sarah shuffled through the papers of the old town records and pulled the old file loose. Dust exploded everywhere and she stifled a cough. Would it kill city hall to upload these to the internet? She imagined how much easier it would be to find information with a few simple clicks but would it really be as much fun as searching through endless hallways and abandon buildings? She placed the aged folder on the table and then placed her own notebook next to it.

'_Let's see_,' thought Sarah as she ran down the list of names from the story. Katrina, Abraham, Ichabod. The names matched the records, each one with its own birth and date of death. She then checked her friends names and found both the Weirs and Morgans. '_Everything matches so far_.'

Then she found the records from the year following Katrina's death. As expected the Cranes, Van Tassels and Van Brunt were gone from the list. Interestingly enough several new family appeared following the murder: the Keaners, and the Galens.

_'Rory and Mr. G's families,"_ thought Sarah. Nothing to link Della or her kin to the city's early history. She brushed off the last of the dust and frowned when she read the last two names. Aloud she whispered: "The Blacks, and... the Sinesteros."

She felt a chill go up her spine. Was it possible Stern's family had played a part in the events that had occurred? She wrote down the thought and closed her notebook. No new information. What was Della's connection to all this? Why did the Headless Horseman target her? What was she missing?

* * *

"I can't believe we're wearing these," said Erica as she tugged at the overalls and made a disgusted face. "Who wears these things anymore?"

"I think they look cute," answered Sarah. She gave her overalls a small tug and tipped the straw-hat she wore. Another week had passed a with in absolutely nothing that helped with the case of the Horseman. Dozens of sightings spanned the news of the Hell Horse but nothing on the animated armor. It was strange to have a case where breaks didn't come easily or quickly. "Besides we're supposed to be having fun. This is for extra credit."

"Yeah but I don't see why you needed to sign me up for it. I hate helping people who aren't going to return the favor."

"Think of it as revenge for dragging me to that stupid art museum last year."

"The one when we got trapped inside the paintings?"

"Yup."

"And how we had to basically fight out way through and then eventually out of art?"

"Yup."

"Ok, fine consider us even. Admit it though, you had some fun didn't you?"

They shared a smile and began to laugh. Sarah glanced from the pumpkin patch and turned to the corn maze. Despite the sudden cold snap things had come in nicely and the Whitehchapel Pumpkin Patch Festival was now in full swing. Across the fair ground heat lamps gave off a bright orange glow and gave a satisfied nod. It was nice to see some of her hard work pay off, especially if it didn't involve monsters exploding. Families moved about the booths eating sweets and laughing. David Stachowski and Sunday Clovers approached them, the latter with his hand held up high.

"Great job Sarah," said the were-dog as gave her a high five. "Reminds me the work I used to do in student council."

"Doesn't it?" said Sunday with a smile. She gave a dreamy sigh and fluttered her eyes. "I miss it so much sometimes. But doesn't it just warm your heart to see children having so much fun?"

"You were both on the student council?" asked Erica in disbelief. She pointed at Clovers and wiggled her fingers. "You can I see, but him?"

"Yeah," David motioned to the small band on his wrist and the one on Clovers'. "Official proof that we worked for Mr. G. Anyway I have to get back to the maze and make sure the teenagers don't have too much alone time. Catch you later!"

"I better go make sure people are paying for their pumpkins," said Clover with a wave. "I'll catch you gals later."

When the two of them were gone the blonde vampire's shoulder slumped. "I don't remember what I ever saw in that guy."

"Hey!" Cried Benny and Rory as they emerged from the gathering of people. "Sorry we're late."

"Benny thought we were supposed to meet you now," offered Rory. "I thought we were supposed to meet in an hour. Guess we were both wrong."

"What is it with you and always being late?" asked Erica. "Seriously can you just invest in a regular old fashion watch?"

"It wasn't my fault this time, I swear," said Benny as he held up his hands. "I was waiting for Ethan and he's running late so we left without him. Don't give me that look Sarah he said he'd meet us here in a few minutes. He's probably racing through the pumpkin patch as we speak."

"In the meantime," said Rory as he placed both arms around the girls. "I say we enjoy some two on one time in the maze."

"How about we don't and –"

People began to scream. The group looked towards the pumpkin patch in enough time to watch as a vine surged forward and grabbed a young girl. It dragged her across the dirt, lifted her into the air before a strange green pod sprouted from the ground and engulfed the child. Erica made a move forward when a scarecrow exploded from the maze and look around its eyes glowing dark purple. It charged after the nearest family as it hissed.

"Again?" asked Benny in disbelief. "Really?"

"Two teams," said Sarah. "Benny and I have the pumpkin patch, you two take the scarecrows. Get the people to safety first then focus on the monsters."

"Right!"

When Sarah reached the edge of the pumpkin patch several large pods were spread across the area. How many people had been taken hostage already? Benny pointed a finger at them and casted a spell. Fire surged forward and singed the pod but did little else. It rippled for a moment before the vines turned to them and shot forward.

"I'm so sick of vines and tentacles," said Sara as she dodged past them. "Benny behind you!"

Benny moved sideways and blasted them with an ice spell and took a step backwards to admire his work. "So here are the vines, but where are the pumpkins?"

As he spoke one of the pods began to break open and a person emerged. Covering their face was a large jack o lantern that oozed purple blood from its face. The person reached out for them and Sarah drove her leg into its stomach. A single scream filled the night and the two of them turned and watched as Sunday Clovers raced by with several vines in pursuit.

"Please someone help me! I am not ok!"

"Benny we need to get those pods open now! I've got Sunday!"

"Be careful," said the Spellmaster. "If the decorations are coming to life, then _it_ can't be far behind."

She nodded and headed after the fleeing woman. Benny turned to the pumpkins casting several ice spells one after the other. The pods turned to ice and remained motionless. No ripples, which was a good sign. He caught sight of movement far off and felt his heart skip a beat. The shadows vanished into the maze. _They_ had arrived.

"Behind you!" screamed Sarah.

Benny turned and watched as the green pod suddenly closed in around him.

* * *

Rory raced through the maze at top speed and returned to the front with a young child and her mother. They barely registered him before they rushed off into the night screaming. Erica reappeared with two teenagers and gave him a nod before rushing back into the fray. Several scarecrows appeared and reached out for him. He noted their sharp nails and shook his head when they hissed.

"You guys have nothing on Erica," said Rory as he dodged their attacks. "Trust me she's way scarier than you'll ever be. Especially when she hasn't had her morning coffee."

He caught its arm and gave a harsh tug. Straw went everywhere and before the monster could react Rory slammed the creature's chest. The thing fell to the ground struggling to move it various dismembered limbs. The other scarecrow moved and he knocked it to the ground.

Erica reappeared with David, who looked pale and lost. "He was the last one in there, everyone else is gone."

"Sc-scarecrows," whispered David as he shivered. "W-why? Why couldn't it have been vacuums or cats?"

Several scarecrows rushed forward from the corn maze. Both Erica and Rory grabbed David began to back up to the various abandoned booths. Slowly the creatures spread out around them.

"We can't hurt them, and they're going to keep going. So how do we stop them?" asked Rory.

"I don't know maybe Benny has a spell or-"

A neigh cut through the night and the Hell Horse rushed out from the corn. The Headless Horseman raised its sword and cut down the row of scarecrows with a wave of the dark black blade. The Horseman turned towards them and voice spoke from within their minds.

"_Where is Crane?"_

Rory, Erica, and David covered their ears in an attempt to block out the voice.

"_Give me the descendants of Crane or suffer the consequences."_

"Crane isn't here!" screamed Erica as she continued to cover her ears. "We don't know any Cranes!"

The Horseman raised its sword up high and gathered the darkness around them into the blade. It swung and when it did darkness seemed to surge forward in a wave. Erica watched as Rory and David fell to the ground unmoving. She struggled to maintain her balance and watched as the Horseman dismounted and approached them. It raised the sword up high and charged its attack again.

Erica closed her eyes and felt the strange energy course through her. She fell to the ground as the world blurred around her.

* * *

Sarah felt the whispers of something evil rush against the back of her neck. She grabbed Clover's arm and pulled her along the pumpkin patch and maneuvered them between the vines and pods. She stopped when the Hell Horse appeared before her and gave a huff. The oranges eyes seemed to look right through her.

"Make the vines go away," whispered Clover as she cried. "Please Sarah, make it stop."

The Headless Horseman walked towards them with its onyx sword. She watched the black column rose from its neck and for a moment she was certain of a form within the smoke.

"_Where is Crane?"_

"Ichabod Crane died a long time ago," said Sarah. "Why are you bringing the decorations to life? What do you have to gain? Your master is dead. She died after she killed two innocent people!"

"_Then city will pay, a curse upon you all."_

It charged forward and swung. She felt the strange energy cut through her and shuddered before the darkness took her.

* * *

When Sarah awoke she wasn't sure how much time had passed. She scrambled to her feet and noted the stars in the sky, and the unconscious body of Sunday Clovers. A quick glance of her phone told her that only a few minutes had passed. Both the Headless Horseman and Hell Horse were gone, and across the field people lay in green goop of the pods.

She stumbled forwards and found Benny fast asleep with green jelly spread out across his body. She gave him a gentle shake and watched as he stirred and then sat up.

"Ugh gross," mumbled Benny as he shook his hands. "I'm never going to eat anything with pumpkin again. Are you ok?"

"I'm fine," whispered Sarah. "A little shaken up but fine."

Together they stood up and headed between the unconscious people to make sure they were all right. Then she stumbled across Ethan completely coated in green slop. Her breath caught in her throat and shook him. When he stirred she exhaled.

"W-what happened?" asked Ethan as he struggled to get up. "I was running through the pumpkin patch and was attacked by… vines I think."

"The Horseman attacked and brought the vines and scarecrows to life. I'm glad to see your ok."

"I'm glad to be ok, at least its gone."

Sarah felt a chill go up through her as the wind began to pick up. Unlike the last time the Horseman had given them a warning. If this was just a simple display of the its power then what did it have in store for the city?

* * *

A/N: What's going on in Whitechapel? Who knows? Drop a review if you got a clue! See you all next Friday!


	5. Drastic Measures

A/N: One step closer to answers sorry about the almost delayed update! I hope you enjoy!

* * *

The Horseman

By JDWrites101

Chapter Five: Drastic Measures  


Sarah checked off another day on her calendar and took a step backwards with a sigh. Halloween was less than a week away, and their investigation had all but hit a wall. It was rare for something as supernatural as the Horseman to be around for so long, and even worse still the Hell Horse was terrorizing innocent people. After every appearance they would investigate but the monster would be long gone and the citizen in question unconscious.

She picked up the old journal and flipped through the pages. Where had all the words gone? Had the book really been damaged by the Horseman's strange energy burst? She sat on her bed and watched as the weekend traffic passed on her street. They had question Mr. G and Benny both but aside from vague details neither of them could offer anything about the journal. Even Ethan's telepathy offered nothing new. He could only bring the details forward, and if the person didn't have them then there was nothing they could do. He had even tried his powers on the book and nothing.

"What were you hiding?" asked Sarah aloud as she continued to flip through the book. "If you weren't written by Crane then who wrote you and why? Why did the Horseman come after you? What did you know about Katrina's burning?"

The pages began to glow bright purple and several words appeared. _My magic is fading. But I can show you everything. All I need is your consent._

Sarah's arms tingled and she looked around her room. She was about to jump head first into a supernatural object without telling anyone…. She bit her lip hadn't she seen a movie like this once and hadn't it ended up terribly for everyone? But if it could answer any of the mysteries that surrounded them then it needed to be done.

She nodded and said: "I give you my consent. Show me the secrets of Whitechapel. Show me the secrets of this journal."

_As you wish._

She felt warmth envelop her and the room vanished from view.

* * *

Ethan was at a loss for words, ideas and clues. There hadn't been a single break in the case and with every passing day they got closer and closer to Halloween. Nothing added up, and everything they had uncovered seemed inconsistent with what they already knew.

'_A little over a week away,_' thought Ethan as he looked at the calendar. He didn't want to fear the worst but on Halloween all bets were off when it came to supernatural beings. _'Why isn't anything coming together?'_

He checked the timeline he had created on his computer, it had everything from the incident at the coffee shop to the recent appearance of the Headless Horseman at the Pumpkin Festival. Everyone who saw the Hell Horse heard the same thing- the demand for Crane, none of them outside a select few had seen the decoration comes to life and the Headless Horseman. Everything was going against everything. It made no sense. Then there was the fear angle…. What factor did that play? Benny and his Grandma hadn't been able to narrow it down; nearly every dark magic spell needed fear.

"Why is the Horseman looking for Crane's descendants?" asked Ethan aloud. Sometimes it helped to ask the questions aloud. He looked at the notes Sarah, Benny and Erica had given him and frowned. "But then why would it go after Della? What's the connection between everyone?"

He looked at the sample pages from the journal and spun around in his chair. He began fidget and picked up a random object from his desk. He crumpled it around in his hands and pondered over the questions again. He spun around and around and around and then stopped when he caught sight of the thing in his hand. It couldn't be possible… could it? The world slowly came back into focus and with it a plethora of answers seemed to surge forward. He looked out the window and began to re-imagine things in his head. As he did he stood up and looked around, how could he be so stupid? He grabbed his cellphone and jacket, time was of the essence.

* * *

"So what are we doing here exactly?" asked Rory as he held up the shovel. "Run it by me again because I'm not exactly sure I understood your text."

"We're going to dig up Crane's grave," said Erica. She stuck her own shovel into the ground. "I think I made that obvious enough."

"That's what I thought you meant. Then allow be this rebuttal, are you insane? It's three in the afternoon and you want us to dig up a grave? It's ok if we do these things at night, but there's a good change that we're going to get caught and then what? How are we going to explain to either the police or vampire council that we're digging up bodies? And not just any bodies but bodies that have great historical significance to this city."

She looked at him. "Rory we're less than a week away from Halloween. Things always get stronger then, and you've seen what the Horseman's done before. Imagine how much more powerful it would be on Halloween and then tell me we shouldn't do this. Drastic times call for drastic measures."

"Good point, but why the grave?"

"Because we don't know how Ichabod Crane was killed. We know why, but that's it. Benny texted me this morning that he's going out of town with his Grandma for some kind of convention and we need to make some progress. Besides Evelyn gave me this last night." She pulled the small feather from her pocket. "It can detect and track magic. If Katrina killed Crane with magic then we should find some residue on his body and after that its just a matter of tracking down the Horseman and creating a counter spell to stop it."

Rory checked his cellphone. "No service. Lets make this as fast as possible."

Erica nodded and together they began to dig.

* * *

_**You wished to know what happened on that night all those years ago. **__**Here you will be forced to watch the events of the past play out unable to act or stop what is to come. **_

_When Sarah opened her eyes she found the world distorted in strange dark colors. Of everything around her the most startling feature was the purple sky and dark black moon. She got to her feet and felt the land move underneath her. One moment she was in a vast open plain and the next within the confines of a large building. Like shadows people moved about in front of her their faces obscured by darkness with no defining features to speak of. __The figures moved about and chatted animatedly with one another. It was clear that this was some form of celebration though Sarah couldn't tell much beyond that. She watched couples move across the floor to the rhythm of the music playing in the background._

_**I am sorry for the lack of details but conjuring memories from a life long forgotten is draining especially when my power has been stolen. We will speak again soon.**_

_ Next to Sarah a young woman clad in a purple dress clapped her hands to the beat of the sound. Several others passed by her and through the music she heard bits of what they said to her.  
_

_"Bless you and your father dear."_

_"I hope for a speedy recovery."_

_"Do not forget to take care of yourself too."_

_To each one the woman nodded and returned to sentiments. A figure tall lanky figure separated itself from the crowd and approached. Unlike the other figures Sarah felt as though this one had a stronger presence. The details in his clothes were astounding and yet the face remained shadowed over.  
_

"_Ms. Van Tassel," said the man as he bent down and kissed the woman's hand. "It is such a pleasure to have someone as lovely as yourself in attendance. May I have the gift of single dance with you?"_

"_Of course," said Katrina as she held out her hand. Together they moved to the dance floor and moved as one. And though they spoke in whispers their voices could be heard clearly over the crowd and music. "My dear Ichabod what are you doing here? Abraham will surely-"_

"_We are here to celebrate All Hallows Eve. Is it too much that I ask to end this talk of Abraham and simply enjoy a dance?"_

_Katrina stopped talking. Sarah watched the duo move across the floor and felt a twinge of regret in her, they were clearly meant for one another. She could see it in the way they moved, what had happened that would send this happy couple into such turmoil?_

_They separated and Katrina gave a gentle laugh. "I have never had such a graceful partner before. My father has always had two left feet."_

_"May his recovery be as swift as you are gorgeous," said Crane. "No matter who you choose to wed I will you be happy to continue to educate youths of this city. I may not have the riches or status that Van Brunt offers but I have a civic duty to our home."_

"_You humble yourself Ichabod," said a large and bulkier man. He sauntered forward and though he and Crane were the same height it appeared he towered over the latter. Sarah assumed it must've been Abraham Van Brunt, after all their rivalry and courtship of Katrina were things of legend. He patted the tall man on the back and laughed. "Trying to get in a few points when my back was turned you sly old dog you."_

"_You cannot blame a man for trying," answered Crane with a laugh all his own. "It is good to see you as well my friend." _

"_But in all honesty Ichabod the children must be out in the fields and forest learning what they can. To be stuck in a small room without the fresh air of the world is to deny them the basic rights of life."_

_"But to know is to be prepared. Something I often wished for the both of us in our misadventures. Come now you cannot deny that poison oak from long ago might have been avoided if we-"_

_Abraham laughed again. "Yes but the dog who has learned from his master's hand is not doom to repeat the same mistake twice. How fares your father?"_

"_Well enough," said Katrina her voice no longer gentle or sweet. Instead it had taken on a hollow almost commanding tone. "I fear he may take a turn for the worse and that his last night on this earth may every well be tonight. As you both know it is imperative that he give his blessing to the next of kin and my future husband. When all this is done meet me at home home and I will make my choice. But please do not let Reverend Black know, the sight of the priest may very well snuff out my father's final bits of life."_

_Both men nodded. Sarah felt goose bumps break out over her body. Crane and Van Burnt seemed to be friends, best friends even. She thought of Ethan and Benny and shivered. If history was right then she was going to watch this woman cut them both down without a second thought. A single friendship ended. But why? Katrina stepped forward and held out a hand.  
_

"_Now Abraham I believe it is time we shared a dance all our own."_

* * *

Ethan said nothing and darted across the lawn and towards Benny's house. He knocked on the Weir's door and waited for a response. When nothing happened he checked his phone. Where the heck was Benny? He had sent at least five texts and not gotten a single response. He felt his heart race as he peered through the window. No sign of his friend or Evelyn. He dialed Benny's cell and waited for it be answered. Nothing. He tried Sarah, Erica, and Rory and one by one their phones went to voice mail.

For the moment it appeared as though he was on his own.

* * *

"How deep are these graves supposed to be?" asked Rory. He stopped, wiped the sweat off his forehead and struggled to catch his breath. "It feels like we've been at this for almost an hour."

"We'd be closer," mumbled Erica as she drove her shovel into the ground. "If someone wasn't stopping every few minutes for a snack."

On instinct she checked her cell phone and frowned. She hated the idea of being out of service range but they would have to make do until they finished their work. That's when she heard the sound of a shovel hitting something solid. She looked over at Rory who smiled and began to kick the dirt aside. After a minute they found themselves standing atop a large wooden coffin. On the front was the strange symbol they had seen both on the grave and journal.

"OK," said Rory with a grin. "Let's get this opened."

* * *

**You must not turn away from the events that are to play, no matter how gruesome they become.**

_Sarah watched as the world manifested itself in the form of a small but comfortable house. Katrina sat in the center of the room with her hands on her knees and her face still shrouded in darkness. At the far end a suit of armor rested against the wall, Sarah knew at once what it would become. A knock alerted the woman and with grace she rose and allowed her guests in._

"_Has Abraham told you about his foolish plans for the children and people of this city?" Laughed Crane as he strolled in. "I say we would be better off just leaping before we look."  
_

_Abraham shook his head and it was the humor had vanished from his voice. "Ichabod you have always had the most vivid of imaginations."  
_

"_Tonight we have much to discuss," whispered Katrina. She wandered over to the armor and ran a single hand across the helmet. "My father is at death's door and the three of us have the future of this city in our hands."_

_"Straight to the point as always," said Crane. "To put it bluntly we need to open our doors to those who are different from us. Abraham you refuse to see that our home is a perfect place to begin something so much more meaningful." He turned back to Katrina. "Surely you of all people do not agree with him."_

"_It is… complicated." Though Abraham said nothing he looked at the woman and crossed his arms in silent contemplation._

"_You are as much one of them as you are one of us. Does he know about what you can do? About what has been gifted to you? In addition Reverend Black can-"_

"_I will hear none of that's man's name in my home," hissed Katrina. "You may wish the best for this city but that man is nothing more than a curse on the existence of life. He and his followers are a force to reckoned with."_

_"I agree." They both turned to Abraham. "He is not to be trusted."_

"_They are not monsters," said Ichabod. "They are creatures who need a safe haven to stay! And what better place than our town? Can we not learn to live in peace with them?"_

"_I agree not all of them are monsters but what are we to do if we cannot protect against them? For every person who has the power to protect we'll have a dozen who cannot."_

"_It all falls to what our dear Katrina offers." They both turned to her. "Your family owns a good part of the city, and the person you choose to marry will ultimately affect what is to come. Not only that but your... your magic will affect what will blossom."_

_Katrina turned away from them. "Did I ever tell you how I got this armor? It was a gift from my father from our ancestors. I believe like this armor we must protect our city while still having a sword with which to strike." The men said nothing and waited for her to continue. _"_Allow me to pose the question: what would happen if I choose neither of your ideas? Yes I could marry one of you but what if there was a middle ground for all this?"_

_"You chose us because we have a higher status in this city," said Abraham. "You cannot fault us because a decision that has come before from you cannot be made." Katrina turned to him and Sarah watched the man back away in fear. "There is more to discuss than just our home. Is that not right Ichabod Crane?"_

**I will give you insight into the truth.**

_Crane looked down with a sigh. He rubbed his eyes then looked up. The shadows faded from his face and the details manifested before her. Sarah felt her heart thump and body begin to shake. It couldn't be possible but it was. Crane adjusted his glasses and kept his gaze away from the witch.  
_

_"Tell me," Katrina's hand began to glow dark purple. Sarah stepped back afraid of what was about to transpire. "What do you know?"_

* * *

"Impossible," whispered Erica as she opened the coffin. It was larger than she had given it credit for and worse than that: "Its… empty."

Rory shuffled around the wooden box and felt along the edges for some sort of clue. When he found nothing he shrugged his shoulders and climbed out of the hole. Together the two of them looked down at the open space and then at one another.

"If Ichabod Crane isn't in here?" asked Rory. "Then where is he?"

* * *

Ethan's heart pulsed and he took a deep breath. He forced himself to open the door and stepped into the classroom. Through the dim glow of the lights he was greeted with a shocked looked from Mr. G. The teacher placed the paper he was reading down and leaned forward.

"My goodness Ethan what are you doing here? Is everything alright?"

"Mr. G," said Ethan. "I know this is going to sound strange but please I need you to be as honest as you can. How long have you lived in Whitechapel?"

"I've lived here my entire life, and my family even longer. Why?"

Ethan hesitated for a moment then said: "I think you may be Ichabod Crane."

* * *

A/N: Two chapters left! Don't forget to drop a review!


	6. Crane and the Horseman Part I

A/N: Part one of the two (or will it be more?) part ending!

* * *

The Horseman

By JDWrites101

Chapter Six: Crane and the Horseman Part I

Mr. G stared at Ethan with his mouth slightly agape and the glasses on his face tilting ever so slightly to the right. The Seer watched as several emotions passed through the teachers face and wondered if he had made a grievous error in his assumption. Was it possible that in his haste he had missed some vital piece of evidence? Another moment passed and unable to take the silence anymore Ethan blurted out:

"I'm not sure how but you're not just any Crane, your Ichabod himself."

Mr. G sighed and leaned back in his chair. He motioned for Ethan to take a seat across from him and turned to the gathering of dark clouds. For a moment his reflection appeared on the window only to vanish when the lights flickered. "After everything you've done for this city I owe you the truth."

He interlaced his hands. "I knew about the strange things that went on around here but it wasn't aware of who I was until the incident with the Lucifractor last year. Little by little things began to fall into place and when I came across my journal all my questions were answered. Even now things are still murky and hazy but I'll do my best to fill you in on the story, the real story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman."

* * *

"_What did you discover?" Demanded Katrina a she strolled forward with her hand glowing. The world warped around it and Crane stepped backwards with his hands held up. "What do you really know about our purpose for this city? Tell me before I am forced to do something I may regret."_

_It was only when Abraham stepped between them that the schoolmaster spoke. "I heard you were indeed going to open this city to the supernatural, but with a cost. In order to keep your control you would only allow them in if they agree to have their powers bounded with those God forsaken stones. Am I wrong?"_

_Katrina lowered her hand and turned away. When she spoke her voice began to waver. "I-It needs to be done in order to keep things balanced. You think I like this any more than you? This city is at a turning point and unless we act rationally things will fall apart. I know both the Morgans and Weirs will agree with these actions no matter how harsh them seem. Do you have a problem with my vision?"_

_Abraham said nothing and Crane spat in disgust. "I do. For a vision that has blinded someone is no better than following the sun in an attempt to find the edge of the world. You are afraid to marry either of us because you know we would oppose this nonsense. Why did you bring us here tonight if you had no intention to back either of our ideas?"_

"_To ensure those who followed me stayed loyal," said Katrina. "And to silence those who would dare oppose."_

* * *

"Well we have nothing to go on now," said Rory from his spot on ground in front of the grave. "Where do we look form someone who's supposed to have been dead for the last century or two?"

"I don't now," answered Erica. She turned the feather over in her hand. It wasn't glowing, which could only mean there wasn't any residual magic. "Maybe we overlooked something. Do you think it's possible this isn't Crane's real grave?"

"You know what bothered me about this whole thing? Why does the grave say Ichabod-?"

When Rory didn't finish Erica looked up from the feather and felt a sudden cold encompass her body. Unable to move her limbs she looked out of the corner of her eye and watched as Rory toppled forward and into the grave his body encased in a thin veil of ice. A dark figure stepped forward and through her limited vision watched them move forward and shove her. The world rolled and the next thing she knew she collided against Rory's frozen body.

The shadow waved a hand and the lid fell with a thunderous slam. Rhythmic sound filled her ears and all at once the horror of the situation sank in.

Whoever the mysterious figure was, they were burying them frozen and alive.

* * *

_Sarah watched Crane take a step back with his head held high. Katrina approached him and was stopped when Abraham put out a hand and caught her by the shoulder. She began to cry. "It was you who forced us to take these precautions! Not everyone who is born supernatural is as innocent as you would have us believe. You betrayed us and our trust!"_

"_What on earth are you talking about?" asked the schoolmaster. He gave a strangled laugh. "I did not-"_

"_I spoke with Reverend Black," said Abraham quietly. "We talked in length about what he thought your plan was for this city. He gave me some rather detailed insight into who and what you are. I did not want to believe him at first but the evidence was there." He reached into pocket and produced the small black journal. "How could you hide the truth for so long? I thought we were your friends. I thought we were brothers."_

"_I have no idea what you are talking about."_

"_How can you look upon our faces and keep the flames of lies alive? Ichabod the young child adopted by the Crane family is who we want to believe you are but... Tell us your surname, the one given to you at birth. Tell us the truth."_

* * *

"Ichabod S. Crane," said Mr. G from his seat. He looked down at his hands sadly. "Ichabod Sinestero Crane. Even after escaping from my family at a young age the name continued to follow me."

"You were part of the Sinestero Family?" asked Ethan. He thought of the symbols they had seen and then of Stern's cloak. "Of course... it all makes sense now. But how are you still alive? What happened to your memories and why did everyone think you were murdered?"

"Because I was."

* * *

_Sarah hugged herself and shuddered. It was beginning to strain herself mentally and physically. How much more of this could she take? How much more of this would she be forced to endure?  
_

**I warned you that the truth would bring pain. Be strong the answers you seek are within your grasp.**

_Crane looked between his two friends and then at his journal. His eyes began to glow and returned to their normal color. "Yes I admit my heritage is cursed by a name I wish upon no one. But you must believe when I say I mean no harm, I want to undo everything my ancestors have-"_

"_Then explain the power of Lucifer," hissed Abraham and he pointed at the journal. "My dear friend you are playing with all the powers of a fool and to think you wish to create a fraction of his power for yourself. How long did you think to keep this knowledge from us?"_

"_Answer," demanded Katrina. "Why have you aligned yourself with Reverend Black? You always wanted what was best for this city. How could you forsake the citizens in favor of such black magic?"_

_Crane approached his figure towering over hers. "Because I love this city and everything about it. For so long I've had to watch as you govern it with rules and attempted to make it a place for normal people and normal people alone. You force those like us away and into the deepest recess of the woods to live as outcasts. I want to undo the history that was set in motion and I cannot do that with the way things are now. You and I have powers for a reason, and it is time that we made use of them. I was willing to dabble in the darkest of magic in order to bring about future of our home. It was to be a power that all could use both natural and supernatural."_

_Katrina made a motion to cast a spell and Crane snapped his fingers. Sarah felt herself stumble backwards at the sudden flux of energy. _

"_M-my power! What have you done?"_

"_You make use of mixed magic from a diluted line of blood. My strength will over power yours every time we clash and there is nothing you can do about it. How does it feel to have someone reign over you with superior skills? Does it frighten you?"_

_Abraham charged forward and was blasted backwards against the wall. "I wanted to work with Reverend Black in attempt to help everyone within this city. I will have no more of this nonsense and as of now I believe Sleepy Hollow should fall under the controls of those with the families who truly wish the best for us."_

_The magic vanished and Ichabod headed for the door. "I used to think that both sides of this world could live in peace I was clearly wrong."_

* * *

"I made my first mistakes then," said Mr. G. He took a sip from his water bottle. "I turned my back on my friends."

"They were trying to turn Sleepy Hollow into something it wasn't supposed to be," whispered Ethan. "You were trying to do what's best for it there's nothing wrong with that. There are still a few things I don't understand- what where they talking about with the power of Lucifer and where does my family and Benny's come into this?"

"Like I said before it was the first of several mistakes. Your families controlled the parts of the city that the Van Tassels had no control of. Therefore it was reasoned that when either Abraham or I married her she would own enough land to be considered the true leader of the new city. What I didn't account for was the plans that everyone else had already put into place. Including Katrina and Reverend Black."

"What was the second mistake?"

He looked up his eyes darker than Ethan had ever recalled seeing them. "That I didn't kill Katrina or Abraham when I had the chance."

* * *

_When Crane reached for the door handles Abraham grabbed the sword from the armor and swung with all his might. It caught the schoolmaster's side and Sarah ran forward in a vain attempt to stop them. Katrina summoned an orb of fire and launched it forward. Crane held up his hand to block the attack and screamed out in pain when it singed his skin._

_"You would align with the devil himself to carry out your goals," hissed the witch. "If the city knew what horrors Reverend Black had committed they would burn him at the stake. We have your journal and your true surname, which is more than enough proof to have you burnt. The only question is whether I will have the honor to do it myself."_

_"For so long," whispered Crane as he slowly stood. Blood spilled from his wound and covered the ground. "I have tried to escape the curse of my name and yet no matter what I do it follows me. Perhaps it is time I embraced that side of myself."_

_He turned with surprising speed and caught Abraham by the throat._

_"You don't have to do this," yelled Sarah. She tried to grab him and felt her hand go through the image. "Please… don't…"_

**History cannot be altered no matter how hard you wish it.**

_Abraham gave a groan before his body began to age. When he was nothing more than a withered husk Ichabod let go and removed the hand on his wound. The cut was gone, the burns were gone. Katrina looked at the decrepit body and reached out for it._

_"No," whispered Crane. He slammed his foot down and what was left of Van Brunt turned to dust. "If you wish you see your love again the you will have to bring his soul back to our plane or join him in the afterlife. As for this city perhaps it is time I pushed my plan forward. No more will Sleepy Hollow be home to normal people. No more will we be pushed around by people who want the worst for us, it is time I created it a fraction of Lucifer's power!"_

_He held out an arm and the helmet of the armor raced forward. He caught it with ease. " I need a conduit for the power. If you wish to stop me then you better have something stronger than that pitiful sleight of hand you call magic."_

_Once she was alone Katrina let out a scream and crawled over to the clothes of Van Brunt. She cradled them in her hands unaware of the blood that now coated her arms and then turned towards the night. She crawled outside and once she was free of the house began to chant. Her eyes turned gold and she reached out into the air. Tendrils of darkness wrapped around an empty space and brought forth a strange energy. With a single hand she summoned the armor from with it and together combined the two._

_The armor clashed to the ground with loud thud. It rose with a dark pillar of smoke rising from the missing neck. _

_"Abraham I am sorry to do this when your soul wishes only to rest. But please stop Crane and protect our city," whispered Katrina. She waved her arms again and black pebbles rushed forward. They took on the shape of a sword and fell to the earth. The armor caught it and several more pebbles appeared around the front of the house. The rose up in the shape of an animal and from the depths of their darkness a huge stallion emerged._

_Katrina fell forward her hair white and hands covered in the spilt blood of Crane. "They are unaffected by any magic of this plane. Go and do what needs to be done."_

_The Horseman charged off into the darkness and Katrina struggled to her feet. She wandered back inside stumbling every other step. She picked up the book and held it in her hand. _

_"May the truth be known forever." Her eyes and the journal began to glow._

**You belong to me now.**

* * *

"You killed your best friend," whispered Ethan. He shuddered and backed his chair away from the desk. "I know why you did it but wasn't there some other way to stop him?"

"Abraham wasn't the kind of man to be stopped unless extreme action was taken. I needed to show Katrina that I wasn't going to hand her the city on a silver platter. With Abraham gone I knew his land would've fallen to the Morgan and Weirs. I needed to shift control to protect everyone. I wasn't proud of what happened, it was wrong and I can admit that."

"I know what you did was for everyone else, but I don't agree with it. There are always more ways that one to stop someone."

"Unfortunately that is not where this story ends." He held out his hands. "If you want to know about what happened after she summoned the Horseman then take my hands and use your powers. See what happened on that fateful night."

Ethan hesitantly reached out and took them.

* * *

_Crane stood out in the open field with the armors helmet between his hands. It bent in on itself and transformed into a clear orb with a dark purple center. He held it out towards the sky and began to recite the spell from memory. The Horseman burst through the clearing and stopped short of the warlock. He took in his reanimated friend and turned away._

_"I am sorry I had to take your physical form Abraham but you cannot stop me." The Horseman unsheathed the sword and dismounted from the horse. "If you interrupt the process there is no telling what may happen."_

_"I must protect Sleepy Hollow no matter what the cost."_

_"NO!" The Horseman charged forward and pierced through Crane. The purple orb in his hand began to flash. "You fool it was transforming my powers into pure energy. We are all going to die."_

_It flashed brighter then before and exploded. The only thing left in the field was a large crater and the glowing orb within. The Lucifractor had been created._

* * *

When Ethan pulled away he felt even more exhausted than usual. He shook away the feeling and tried his best to focus on what his teacher was saying.

"The Lucifractor absorbed all of my power," whispered Mr. G. "It took my memories and removed my own presence from everyone in this town and as long as it existed I was immortal. Every generation it would reset the memories and whoever Ichabod Crane was before, whatever the people saw or thought of him was gone. Katrina Van Tassel was found guilty for the murder of two people and I had no idea. To think that the thing I was trying to form would later be used for evil purpose. It makes my heart sick."

"Then last year when it exploded?" asked Ethan.

"My dark magic was scattered through out the city and jumped started all the supernatural beings. I began to age normally. After all these years and after all the pain there is finally an end in place for me. I could almost cry of happiness."

He suddenly clasped Ethan by the forearms and pulled him forward. The Seer screamed out at the sudden pain and felt his sight go hazy. "I honestly liked you. You were one of my favorite students but I need the power. There are wrongs I must rectify with Whitechapel and I plan on starting with those who don't have the pleasure of being born with powers."

Ethan tried to fight against him and felt the darkness of sleep wash over him. "My... friends... will stop... you..."

Mr. G rose and grinned. "I've been watching you these past years. You all have flaws."

_Sarah watched as Ichabod Crane appeared before her his eyes void of any emotion. Katrina rushed forward in trying to protect her and was slammed aside. The man's shadow spread across the world and began to close in around her._

"I know how you and your friends work. I know how to stop each and every one of them."

Erica struggled against her frozen body and found the action futile. She heard Rory mumbled something and felt tears well up in her eyes. They were going to starve to death and no one would ever know where to find them.

"And you be can be sure I've taken the necessary precautions to separate the five of you."

Ethan watched as Benny opened the classroom door and gave him a wicked grin. As the light faded from his world he heard his friend whisper:

"We're going to be part of something great E." Then he began to laugh. "A whole new beginning."

* * *

A/N: Will our heroes escape Crane's traps? Will they save Whitechapel and stop this crazed maniac from achieving his goals? Only time and the next chapter will tell!


	7. Crane and the Horseman Part II

A/N: I decided to extend the story by one more chapter because I still had a lot of ground to cover and I didn't want to rush the ending. You have no idea how long I was waiting to make the Crane reveal after all this was a story that was a year in the making. I was even worried someone would've picked up on all the hints I laid out for you! Enjoy! And Happy Halloween!

* * *

The Horseman

By JDWrites101

Chapter Six: Crane and the Horseman Part II

_Sarah held her ground and watched as the shadows moved across the walls and began close in around her. With unnatural grace they traversed each obstacle and transformed the dimensions into an endless abyss of darkness. Ichabod Crane towered over her with a wicked smile.  
_

"_You don't have to do this Mr. G," said Sarah calmly. Despite her relaxed demeanor she felt goose bumps break out across her arms. The world seemed to breathe around her it was as if it had suddenly come alive. From the corner of her eye she caught Katrina stir in one of the few remaining open spaces. "There are other ways to solve a problem. We can be allies, friends even. But we don't harm the innocent, so please… just stop."_

"_I cannot change the past," said Crane. Several hand like tendrils emerged from the abyss and began to wrap around the grey haired witch. "But I can amend the mistakes that I've made. Today Whitechapel will be home to those who are only pure supernatural beings. Give me your fears young vampire and I can show you the true extent of what you are."_

"_He cannot harm you," moaned Katrina. She struggled against the binds and looked at Sarah with her eyes void of any emotion. "He exists as a figment of the past and you are a person of the present. You do not belong here and he is unable to touch you. Do not be afraid and do not give into fear."_

"_Touch may be beyond my power but I can hurt you." The shadows took shape as several Sarah like clones emerged with their fangs bared. They began to claw at the young brunette leaving dark purples bruises. She closed her eyes and bit her lip to keep herself from screaming in pain. "I know everything about both you and your friends." Crane moved amidst the darkness his eyes glowing. "So long as you fear what you are then you belong to me, you belong to Ichabod Sinestero Crane both in mind and body."_

"_If you believe in his powers then he can harm you in ways you never thought possible. Do not give in!"_

"_One by one," she could sense his presence in front of her. Felt him place a finger on her forehead. "You and your friends will fall."_

_Sarah thought of the others and opened her eyes. All at once she began to laugh at the absurdity of the situation. The clones grabbed onto her arms and struggled to pull her into the darkness below. _

"_What?" Demanded Crane. "What do you find so funny? Your mind and body belong to me, you shouldn't be laughing. I've beaten you."_

"_You think I'm afraid of what I am?" The darkness around her suddenly faded. "I know what I am and I'm not afraid of it. Ethan's helped me see that. It's taken a lot but I've accepted the fact I'm a vampire and that I may never be human again. The real question is have you accepted the fact that my friends and I will stop you no matter what?"_

* * *

Erica didn't know how much time had passed. In the bleak emptiness of the coffin time seemed to have no meaning it could've been minutes or it could've been days. If she ventured a guess it hadn't been more than a few hours, after all the hunger pains had yet to set in. She tried to mumble against the frozen binds and stopped. Had she heard something? It might have been Rory moving, or the ice crackling…. Another second passed and she heard it again. Someone was atop the grave.

Erica tried her best to make noise and heard Rory do the same underneath her. Together the two of them managed to rock back and forth; whether it would be enough she wasn't sure. The sounds stopped and Erica felt her breath catch in her throat.

"No…."

Something slammed into the top of the coffin and showered them in dust. The lid was suddenly ripped not only open but completely off. Standing above them with a bandana wrapped around her head and the dark grey sky as a background was Evelyn Weir. She shook her head and with a flick of her thumb tossed a couple dark pebbles down and atop the two frozen vampires. The moment they made contact the ice was gone.

"That grandson of mine," said Evelyn as she clapped her hands. All at once the shovels floating around her stuck themselves in the ground. "You two all right?"

"When I get my hands on whoever froze us," hissed Erica as the afternoon wind brushed against her already frigid body. "I swear to you that I will personally rip out their soul and-"

"It was Benny," said Rory as he shivered. "Wasn't it?"

"Unfortunately," said the Earth Priestess. She handed them each a jacket and small bar of granola. "Get's himself taken control of for the umpteenth time in the last year and a half then tries to knock me out and tie me up. It's a good thing that boy can't tie a knot to save his life. Eat those, they'll warm you up."

Erica took a bite a shrugged her shoulders her anger from moments ago gone. "Well I guess I can forgive him after all we all make mistakes every now and again."

Evelyn pointed to mass gathering of clouds in the distance. "Now, do the two of you have any idea what's going on because I sensing an immense amount of dark magic gathering over our little city."

* * *

_The Sinestero screamed out in both pain and frustration. His entire existence seemed to twitch. "Why are you so determined to allow others to put us down? Vampires can be the new normal and you choose to fight against it?"_

_"I may want to be human again," said Sarah as she looked down at her hands. "But I won't allow you to hurt anyone else. If you've watched us then you know how we work. Either stop or we'll make you."_

_Katrina smiled and gave a hearty laugh. "It seems like your silver tongue has been severed you snake." She looked at Sarah. "Destroy the journal and send him to the hell he so rightly deserves."_

_Crane bellowed and reached out for her. A large hand of made of shadows rushed forward and Sarah closed her eyes. There was no impact and instead she felt the rush of wind against her skin._ Once it was over she opened them and found herself sprawled out on her bed with the journal at her side.

She took it in her hands and opened it to the middle. Several words began to appear and without reading them she tore with all her strength. There was a strange distant scream followed by a rush of black smoke. The darkness rose into the air and dissipated. In her hands the remains of the book turned to ash leaving nothing more of the dark relic that a small smudge.

"You messed with the wrong vampire," said Sarah as she cracked her knuckles. She picked up her cellphone and felt her nerves go haywire. There was a list of missed messages, all of them from Ethan.

_I've got a lead. Benny's also gone MIA –E. Thirty minutes ago._

_Off to the school, I don't know where anyone else is –E. Twenty five minutes ago._

_I think Mr. G might be Crane if anything more comes up I'll text you –E. Twenty minutes ago._

Her phone began to ring and without checking the ID she answered. "Ethan is that you? Are you OK?"

"No it's Rory. Sarah listen Benny just froze and tried to bury Erica and I alive in Crane's grave but Evelyn dug us out. He didn't he come after you did he?"

"No," whispered Sarah. Little by little things began to fall into place. "Mr. G had other plans for me. Listen we need to meet at the school, and get ready for a fight."

"What does Mr. G have to do with this? Hey- what are you-?" There was the sound of scuffling. "Give me back my phone!"

"We'll meet you at the school," responded Erica. "What's going on Sarah?"

"Mr. G is planning on recreating the Lucifractor. Bring as many of those anti-magic rocks as you can we're going to need them. And hurry he may already have Ethan."

"See you soon."

The line disconnected and she opened her window. She was greeted with a cool rush of wind, and could smell the wetness in the air. High above dark clouds had gathered it was just a matter of time before the storm hit.

Sarah jumped out the window and took to the skies.

* * *

"We seriously need to start running background checks on our teachers," said Rory when Sarah landed at the front of the school. "This is like the fourth time one of them has tried to kill us."

"Here," said Erica. She tossed the brunette a small bag of pebbles. Sarah caught it and turned it over in her hand. "Don't worry we each have one. So what's really going on?"

"Mr. G is Ichabod Crane," said Sarah as she pulled a large pebble out of the bag. "And Crane is a Sinestero, he's the one who created the Lucifractor and he's going to do it again except this time he wants to kill everyone who doesn't have supernatural powers. Where's Evelyn?"

The wind began to pick up around them and it seemed as if the day had gotten even darker than before. Erica shivered, tightened her jacket and looked at the strange gathering in the sky.

"She said she had to do something important. How is Benny's been controlled again?"

"Doesn't matter," said Rory and he held up his phone. "We've got the anti-evil Benny app. If he's got Ethan and Benny then we've got to hurry."

"Rory's right," answered Sarah. "You might want to hold on to a pebble just in case."

The two nodded and together the group kicked open the school doors. They moved down the hall and stopped short of Mr. G's room. Sarah motioned for Erica to take one side of the door and Rory the other. She brought up her leg and kicked it open. It bounced off the hinges and she stepped through.

"Mr. G-" She shivered at the sudden rush of cold. "What the-"

The side of the building had been destroyed, the classroom was in shambles, and from what she gathered whatever had happened seemed to have continued on past the school boundaries and into the forest. Sarah bent down and ran a finger along the damaged tiles. Only one thing could have made these markings.

"Hoof prints," said the brunette vampire. "And they lead out into the forest."

"Sword marks," whispered Erica. She pointed to the deep gouges in the desk and chalkboard. "There was definitely a fight here."

"Magic… stuff…" offered Rory. He held up a chunk of ice and a burnt piece of a chair. "Some serious Harry Potter style magic. Wait hang on I just realized something!"

The blonde ran over to the broken wall, placed a foot on the ruble and smiled. Erica raised her shoulders in confusion. "I don't understand."

"It's like the museum. The wall is broken outwards, which means whatever happened, happened in the class first and then moved out here."

"Come on," said the Sarah. More of the mystery began to piece together. "Everything makes sense now."

She ran as fast as she could. They followed the trail of broken trees and uprooted bushes and as they did she began to fill in her friends on her sudden realizations. "There was one connection between all the fears one we didn't realize."

"What was it?" asked Erica. "We checked everything."

"For each event there was always at least one person there that wasn't a part of our team: the student council members. Each of them was wearing those bracelets Mr. G gives to them and each one creates the thing they fear most. Think about it Della was at the school doing student council stuff that day we were attacked and Benny was wearing his too. The one that given to him as gift for moving Halloween decorations and delivering the journal right into Crane's hands."

"Hannah was picking up coffee on the first morning," said Rory. "And she's the president so of course she'd have to have one."

"David and Sunday were also wearing them at the Pumpkin Festival," said Erica with a groan. "They even showed them to us, how could we have missed something so obvious?"

"Because we were being played by someone we trusted," answered Sarah. The trees began to thin out and in the distance they could seem a clearing. "But that's not all if the bracelets were bringing the fears to life then the Horseman-"

"Look!" In the center of the clearing stood Mr. G his hands glowing dark purple and the clouds gathering above him. Benny fired off rapid spells against the Headless Horseman as the two of them moved along the outer area locked in combat. The Hell Horse gave a neigh as it continued in pursuit.

"We have to help Benny!" cried Rory as he charged forward. He caught the Horseman's arm and pulled him from the Hell Horse with unnatural grace. The armor crashed against the ground before recovering its composure and drawing its sword.

"Rory stop!" screamed Sarah. The darkness that emerged from his neck slowly thinned out revealing the person within. "THE HORSEMAN IS OUR ALLY! THE HORSEMAN IS ETHAN!"

* * *

A/N: Next chapter will bring about the end of this little bad boy. Have a safe Halloween and see you next Friday for the FINAL CONCLUSION!


	8. Crane and the Horseman Part III

A/N: The last chapter. Enjoy, and don't forget to check the A/N at the bottom.

* * *

The Horseman

By JDWrites101

Chapter Eight: Crane and the Horseman Part III

_Mr. G held onto Ethan's forearms for another moment and made sure the student was unconscious before allowing himself to take a step back. He watched the Spellmaster approach and waited for moment to make sure there would be no other disturbances. When nothing else happened he nodded and peered out the window. In the distance the clouds continued to darken as the moment fast approached._

"_You've taken care of both those vampires and your Grandmother?" asked Mr. G. He flexed his fingers and felt magic surged through them. In less than an hour his powers would be back to their original strength and perhaps even stronger. "You've ensured they won't interfere with my plan?"_

"_You could say Evelyn's been tied up," Benny gave him a crooked grin. "And as for the vampires they won't wake up until the next ice age is over. What about Sarah? You made sure she won't-"_

"_It's not your place to question-" Mr. G caught movement from the corner of his eyes and jumped backwards. Benny stepped back almost leisurely with an uninterested gaze. The black swords missed them both before lodging itself with a loud crash in the chalkboard. Ethan slowly got up from the desk, his hair covering his eyes, and pulled the weapon free. He slouched forward from the weight and remained motionless._

"_Oh dear," said Mr. G. A smile broke out across his face. There appeared to be some fight or perhaps something else within the boy after all. "I thought I had rendered you weakened and alone."_

_Ethan's head slouched backwards and black smoke surged softly from his mouth. It spilled over his body and solidified into the old dark armor. The teenager's head vanished in the sudden rush of smoke and he lifted the sword at both of them. "This boy is never alone." _

_Before G could make his response the Spellmaster casted several spells. One by one the Horseman deflected them with a swift swing of the sword. A desk exploded, another turned to ice and when Mr. G stepped forward to drain their adversary of its energy he was stopped by the point of the onyx blade. The small confines of the room was filled with a powerful presence and behind the Horseman the Hell Horse manifested and towered over them._

"_Get out of our way," said Benny as he pressed his hands to the ground. Ice exploded upwards and the horse was thrown backwards through the side of the classroom and out into the open air. In the chaos the Horseman charged for the Spellmaster only to deflect another flurry of enchantments. They moved in an almost rhythmic dance of swings and spells. "Annoying little-"_

_Mr. G moved past them and out in the forest beyond. The Hell Horse stirred in its ice like shackles and he moved around it as fast as he could. He could sense the dark magic in the air, and unlike last time he would have to gather it all if he hoped to recreate the Lucifractor and purify Whitechapel._

* * *

Sarah, Rory, Erica, Ethan and the Hell Horse stood to one side of the clearing as Benny, and Mr. G stood on the other. Both sides looked at one another, neither of them moving as a gust of wind swayed the grass in a rhythmic motion.

"Anyone want to explain how Ethan ended up as the Headless Horseman?" asked Erica her eyes firmly locked on Benny and Mr. G. "Or why he tried to kill us earlier this month?"

"He wasn't attacking us was he?" Called out Sarah. The teacher gave her a wicked grin and said nothing. "He was trying to stop the bracelets from doing their jobs. That's why every time he attacked he used that strange pulse technique. It wasn't to kill; it was to sever your control over the students. Isn't that right G?"

"Correct," said Mr. G. "When the Lucifractor exploded last year my memories began to come back little by little. I couldn't do magic so I settled for the next best thing- potion based clothing. Anyone, regardless of whether they have powers, can make potions. So I linked the bracelets with my blood and prepared my return for Halloween. Fear helps fuel me and with all Hollows Eve just around the corner all rules are off making it the perfect chance for the rebirth of Sleepy Hollow."

"Expect for one thing," called out the Horseman. "You did not realize that I was also bonded with the Lucifractor that night. The moment your spell activated I was resurrected by Katrina's spirit to finish what I should have ended years ago."

"Ethan's more in tune with spirits than any of us," said Sarah. She clenched her fists, and assumed a running position. "No wonder Van Brunt chose him. Rory you and the Horseman deal with Benny, Erica and I will stop G."

"You really think the four of you posses the necessary strength to defeat me?" asked Mr. G as he held out his hands. Dark magic began to pour forth from the sky. One by one figures emerged from the ground and took shape. "I've collected the fears of everyone who has ever worn those bracelets and not just for power, but as a fail safe should things start to turn against me." Scarecrows manifested from the grass, the wind became bats, pumpkin vines emerged from the ground, tentacles shot forwards from the cracks, and the night insects became large spiders. Mr. G pointed at the group and commanded: "Finish them."

Both sides charged forward as lightning flashed, and thunder roared in the skies above them.

* * *

Rory dodged Benny's fireball and reached out to grab his friend only to be flung sideways by a large tentacle. Vines surged after him and were stopped by the hooves of the Hell Horse. It gave a neigh and charged forward its head rocking back and forth knocking aside scarecrows. The Horseman ran with his sword held high and darted for the Spellmaster. He cut through the bats as they swarmed and brought his arm back for a wide swing. Rory screamed out:

"No! Don't hurt him!"

He halted and Benny took advantage of the opening. A bolt of lightning came crashing down from the sky and before the impact with the ground soared straight for them. The Horseman attempted to cut through it and fell sideways his left arm burnt and smoking.

"He is Crane's pawn and if he continues to stand in my way then I will put him down like the rest of these beasts."

"We've got a way of stopping him," said Rory as he stood up and ran between the groups of enemies. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and held it high. Benny looked at him and he activated the app. A white flash knocked the boy backwards with a loud boom.

"See we-" Rory was engulfed in a rush of black wind. Benny got up and cracked his hands with a grin. "The app should've worked! You should be free from-"

"Maybe," said the Spellmaster as he summoned several fireballs. "This is the real Benny."

* * *

Sarah and Erica drove their fists into the scarecrow and drove it back with surprising force. It skipped across the ground before landing in front of Mr. G. The man moved around the fallen monster and as he did the spiders surged forward.

"We can't let him gather his magic," said Sarah as she jumped up and slammed the nearest one into the ground. It gave a hiss before she kicked off to the side. "If he does then we've lost and there no second chances."

"I get that," said Erica as she ripped a vine from the ground. It writhed about in her hands and she used it to clear away as many spiders as possible before tossing at Mr. G. The teacher dodged it with unnatural ease. "How are we supposed to get anywhere near him with everything trying to kill us?"

"We have to try and get-" The Hell Horse crossed their path without stopping and as it did the creatures wilted before it. The horse gave a reassuring snort before charging after Benny. She nodded and cried: "Go go go!"

The two vampires rushed forward only to be hoisted into the air by a one of the large bat like creatures. Sarah drove her heel into its eye and was rewarded with a harsh screech. The man bat dropped her and she darted for the teacher.

"You don't have to do this Mr. G, we can still stop this before-"

"No," said the man as he turned to face her. All the kind features that had once made their teacher were gone. In their place the sharp details of this new man seemed almost impossibly vivid. "Mr. G is gone, all that exists is Ichabod Sinestero Crane."

He flicked his finger and she felt herself lifted backwards and thrown in the mass gathering of arachnids. She screamed out and dropped the pebble she was holding. As it bounced across the ground it made contact with several of the spiders each one turning to dust at its touch.

"How could I forget," whispered Sarah. As loud as she could she called out: "The pebbles negate Crane's magic!"

Erica reached for her small bag, took one it hand and scattered the rest along the area. One by one the vines, tentacles and spiders began to vanish. She held out her hand and drove it into the nearest scarecrow's leg. It howled at the touch and turned back into grass.

"Finally things are going our way," said the blonde as her fangs appeared. She smiled and assumed a fighting stance. "Let's do this."

* * *

Rory heard Sarah call out and pulled his own bag of pebbles from his pocket. Benny fired a blast of ice and he held it up. The spell vanished and the brunette gave him a confused look. Anger flashed across his face and he summoned a cyclone of fire behind him. The blonde smiled in response and held up the rock.

"Catch!" said Rory as he threw it with all his might. Benny's instincts kicked in and he caught it square in hand. The tornado dissipated and the Spellmaster looked backwards in confusion. When he turned he was greeted with sharp punch from the vampire. As the Benny fell backwards Rory jumped up and down massaging his hand. ""Ow ow! That hurt!"

"Rory," called out the Horseman as he held up his sword. "Keep the monsters away from me and I may be able to push things in our favor."

Rory nodded and opened the bag of pebbles. He took two and scattered the rest in front of Ethan. Anything that got past the initial rocks would have to deal with him. "How much time do you need?"

"Two minutes."

"Do your thing dude, I've got you covered."

The Hell Horse stormed pass and ripped through several pairs of scarecrows before being blasted sideways by Sinestero. It collapsed against the ground and Rory squeezed the two rocks in his hands as the monsters bore down on them. He knocked down two bats, several spiders, and vines before being pushed back by the overwhelming numbers. When it seemed like he was about to taken down the Horseman ran forward with the blade held high.

Darkness pulsed forward turning the advancing creatures to dust. "Hurry we must get to Crane before it is too late."

* * *

Erica dodged Crane's magic and deflected the sound blast with the two pebbles she held. With a sideways grin she asked: "Is that the best you've got? I've fought dolls that were tougher than you."

He raised his hand and darkness came pouring down from the strange gathering in the sky. Erica rolled to the side and watched as Sarah tackled Crane from behind. They both rolled across the ground only to jump up and separate.

"Sarah behind you!" The brunette vampire deflected the fresh flurry of blasts only to be assaulted from behind by a scarecrow. The creature bore down on her and Erica threw her stone. It connected with the beast but once it was gone a large vine wrapped tightly around the blonde's legs.

"You're trying to defeat pure magic with nothing more than rocks and a vampire curse," said Crane. He snapped his fingers and the tentacles bounded Sarah to her spot on the ground. "You cannot defeat-"

A truck burst through the bushes and struck Crane squarely from the side. He bounced across the ground and lay still on the far edge of the clearing. Evelyn emerged from the car and wiped the sweat from her brow. She made a motion to the large object in the trunk.

"I brought something that can help. All we have to do is get Crane-"

A fireball surged past them and they turned in enough time to watch as Benny held his hands up.

* * *

Rory frowned and watched as the Hell Horse ran past. He reached out to grab the saddle and hoisted himself on with relative ease. In the distance he caught his friend in the act of raising his hands. Several bolts of lightning gathered above the truck crackling with pure energy.

"GO FASTER!" cried Rory. Reacting on instinct he jumped off, prayed he's calculated the landing right, and smiled when he felt Benny go slack underneath him. He stared down at the unconscious body of his friend and said: "Sorry buddy this was the safest way to knock you out."

"Use this to bind the stone," said Evelyn a she handed him her bandana. "It should negate both his magic and the possesion as long as it's in contact with his body."

Rory placed the pebble on Benny forehead and then tied it down with the cloth. Evelyn snapped her fingers and grinned when black ropes tightened themselves around her Grandson.

"That's how you perform a binding spell. It's basic magic, the same for fighting against possession. Its like four years of lessons have just gone out the window."

"Benny was never one for the basics," said Erica. She looked up at the battered car. "Now what's in the truck?"

"Crane's coffin," said Evelyn. "I lined it with the dark anti-magic rocks. Get him in there before he has a chance to gather his magic and it should dissipate forever. We have to move now though if we want to interfere with his plan."

"Excellent," said the Horseman as sliced through another monster. The Hell Horse came to his side and he mounted it. In the distance Crane stood up his eyes now glowing a solid black. "Now let us end this once and for all! We will distract the beasts while you handle Crane."

The horse charged and as it did Evelyn placed her hands together. The clouds finally gave way and it began to rain exclusively on the monsters. Anything the drops touched turned to ice and bathed the field a cold mist.

The vampires advanced and Crane tried to blast them all backwards with a purple shock wave. They scattered dodging the rain, remaining monsters, and together surrounded the warlock on all sides.

"We've given you more chances than you deserve," said Erica with her fangs bared. "Surrender or we're going to put you where you belong."

"You have nothing that can harm me," said Crane. He tired another attack and the trio negated them with their onyx rocks. "Those useless pebbles can only protect you for so long."

"You tried to hurt the students who put their trust in you," said Rory sadly. "Why did you betray them? Why would you betray us?"

"Because I am a Sinestero at heart and this city has never been anything but a cesspool for the monsters called humans. I will end that all for future generations, and I will do it with the pure magic provided by my ancestors. Tonight Sleepy Hollow will be recreated as a home for the supernatural and the supernatural alone."

"You don't have to be what others want you to be," said Sarah. She held out the rock in her hand and her friends did the same. "I had to learn that the hard way." He scoffed at her. "But you've given us no choice. If you want to be a monster then we're going to do what we do best."

"And what's that?"

Together the three vampires said: "Put the monster down."

They all ran forward, as they did Crane summoned a purple light from the gathering clouds. It came crashing down around him unnatural force and attempted to surge forward. Each vampire held up their rock and prevented the pillar of expanding forward. They struggled to keep it from pushing them backwards and the pillar began surged in on itself.

"WHITECHAPEL WILL BE CLEANSED!" cried Crane from the depths of magic. "I WILL BRING ABOUT THE AGE OF THE SUPERNATURAL!"

"This isn't working," cried Erica as she dug her heels into the ground. "We can't hold this forever."

"Guys," yelled Rory as his arms began to shake. "I'm losing my grip."

"Hold on," screamed Sarah. She felt the weight of the magic bear down on her and as it did her body began to numb. "We have to hold on."

"Don't give up," said Ethan as the Hell Horse ran forward. He jumped from the saddle and drove the onyx sword into the wall of purple energy. The pillar began to waver. "We can end this. Together."

The magic seemed to glow brighter and then all at once it vanished. Crane looked down at his hands and then turned to look up at them.

"I… I only wanted to help…." He reached out and as he did his body vanished. The only thing left of Ichabod Sinestero Crane was the purple orb on the ground.

"Let's get that thing into the coffin," ordered Evelyn with a frown. "And put as many of those rocks around it as possible. It'll block out its magic, and if we bury it with enough of them then over the years it'll eventually lose its power."

"Finally," said the Horseman as he exhaled and lowered his blade. "I have fulfilled my promise to Katrina and am able to rest."

Black smoke rose from Ethan's mouth and into the air. The Hell Horse neighed and with one last shake of its head faded. Ethan looked at his friends with a strange expression, noted his attire and nodded. "I… I was the Horseman. Now that the fights over its kind of hard to accept."

"Dude not just was," said Rory with a wild grin. "But still are."

"Ethan I'm so glad your back to normal," said Sarah as she rushed forward to give him a hug. Which proved awkward with the armor and sword between them. Ethan smiled and when he did the garments disappeared. "Well... mostly normal."

"I-I think," they reappeared. "I think… I... may have some new… powers…."

"My master will return," screamed Benny from his place on the ground. "One day he will come back and you will all-"

"Is there anyway to get him back to normal?" asked Erica as she poked him with the tip of her foot. "Because this is gonna get very annoying very fast."

"Try the app again," offered Sarah. Ethan handed her his phone and she held it out. It flashed again. "Well?"

"I WILL SACRIFICE YOU ALL IN THE NAME OF SLEEPY HOLLOW!"

"I know a few exorcism spells," said Evelyn with a sly smile. "Might not be the easiest thing to do but it'll be lesson for him on how to master his basic techniques. Especially when it comes to possession. Isn't this like the third time this has happened?"

"Fourth," mumbled Erica. "We can't forget the time he was hypnotized by the shadows in the doorway."

"Oh! Oh will his head turn in a full circle?" asked Rory excitedly. "Because that would be so awesome."

"Guys really?" asked Ethan as he approached his friend. He pointed the sword at Benny's wrist and flicked it. The small bracelet fell to the ground where it turned to ash. "Ta-da."

Benny's eyes went empty for a moment before he began to struggle against his bindings. "Hey what's going on? Why is everyone just standing around and why- Oh my god Ethan's the Horseman!"

He rolled over onto his stomach and began to wiggle away. "FLEE MY FRIENDS! FLEE!"

Ethan sighed and with a twitch of wrist the ropes were cut away. "Calm down dude." He held out his hand and as he did the armor vanished. He helped Benny to his feet and added: "I'll explain everything once we're home."

"Bad news guys," said Evelyn as she examined the truck. "It looks like we're going to be walking home, and as for Crane we'll have to bury the new Lucifractor later." She placed several nails on the coffin and uttered an incantation. They drilled themselves in and the wood turned a dark onyx shade. "No will ever open this again."

As they walked Ethan took Sarah's hand in his and together they shared a small blush a smile.

"So…" said Ethan turning even redder than before. "What grade did you end up getting on that essay of yours?"

"Oh a B+," said Sarah trying her best not to looked too embarrassed. "Teacher said there wasn't enough evidence to support my claims but I presented several fascinating ideas that had never been considered before."

"That reminds me I forgot to tell you," he reached for his phone and showed her the picture he had taken. "Katrina is a very distant relative to your family. You have maybe 1/36th of Van Tassel blood in your lineage. Not much but in this city that's all it takes."

"What?" Benny and Erica took his phone and examined the image. "Amazing."

"Crane's magic might have been linked to the Horseman," said Ethan with a grin. "But I'm guessing that Sarah's blood's the one that jump started its resurrection."

He looked up at the sky and noticed that all the clouds had vanished, and with it seemed the strange cold snap. He watched the stars twinkle for a moment and then turned to woman whose hand he was still holding. "W-would you like to get a pumpkin spice latte with me?"

Sarah laughed and gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "How about a dinner and movie instead?"

"Sounds like a date to me."

Together they looked up at the sky and Ethan smiled. It was going to be another beautiful night in Whitechapel and perhaps an even more beautiful Halloween.

* * *

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. As of now I only have more story planned for this section and it will either be an urban mystery or fairytale. I haven't decided which one I'll do but for now I plan on finishing my other Christmas story (a total overhaul from what it is) and The Spellmaster's Mother (which will update on Friday). And please don't forget to leave a review it would mean a lot to me. I'll see you again soon! Any questions I can answer send me a PM!


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